


To See Stars

by HyourinmaruIce



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Amethyst as a Graduate Student, Earth, Exploration, F/F, Garnet being a Graduate Student, Lapis as a Scientist, Most relationships are friendships, Other, Pearl as a Scientist, Peridot as a Computer expert, Science, space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 18:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 54,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3906130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyourinmaruIce/pseuds/HyourinmaruIce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garnet is on her way to being a scientist, her P.H.D. just within reach, and Amethyst decides to take her to a seminar where she finds herself facing the perfect job opportunity. Somehow, it turns into an adventure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Garnet and Amethyst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> College seminar

       Garnet was heading to an optional seminar when Amethyst sidled up to her. Her roommate was small, round all over and bouncy enough that people didn’t notice when she developed a sour attitude. Garnet appreciated her roommate, they were very good friends, but she recognized the mischief before she even dared guess at what Amethyst might want with her.

       “Yo, G man, you gotta come to the talk I’m going to. There’s this kid our age doing a lesson over real-world engineering,” The grin Amethyst gave her was something absolutely terrifying to those watching the pair, but Garnet remained unaffected.

       “Are you going to boo her like you did last time?”

       “Nah, don’t worry G, I learned my lesson,” The wink spoke otherwise.

       “Amethyst, I’m already on my way to a seminar over something pertaining to my major, is there a reason?” Garnet adjusted her shades, the reflection blinding a nearby freshman so he ended up dropping all his books into the fountain they were passing by.

       They were making their way across the sophomore quad, a fountain stood in the middle in the form of Hermes, and there were two lecture halls in the direction they were already walking. Amethyst’s talk was in the hall next to her destination, or else Amethyst wouldn’t have bothered trying to convince her in the first place.

       “Your major is space! That’s totally engineering based. Like, this chick has a P.H.D in astro-engineering.  She’s right up your alley, you’ll enjoy yourself,” Amethyst winked at her, nudging a little at her hips.

       “My major is Space Colonization. Her major is more than likely Aerospace Engineering, from what I gather. I study anything having to do with biology in zero gravity environments to terraforming; she studies math and putting things together so they can exist in space. While compatible, we do not study similar things,” Garnet explained patiently, watching her walking companion roll her eyes while she finished. Amethyst sighed begrudgingly.

       “What if I gave you a better reason?”

       “What might that be?” Garnet stopped at the steps of her lecture hall, waiting for her roommate to finish her thought.

       “She is working on the next space shuttle, and she is reviewing your thesis,” The grin stretched across Amethysts face, the young women with purple hair and purple eyes (she wore contacts that Garnet thought were probably bad for her, seeing as she was allergic to many things), seemed to bounce in place. She knew she had won.

       “Ah,” Garnet followed Amethyst’s gleeful hoops and hollers.  The small women was jumping and doing cartwheels over to the next building.

       When they made their way into the main lecture hall, the room was just filling up. A small woman worked on stage, covered in a blue dress that flared out near the knees. She was pretty, by Garnet’s standards, but nothing special. If that was whom Amethyst was getting hyped over, Garnet should start lowering her standards.

       They sat about a fourth of the way from the stage, near the edge of the center section. Garnet didn’t like being in the thick of it, pubescent twenty year olds acting like they could talk over their professors and lecturers. The quarter-of-the-way-drunken males, generally in groups, smelling like they couldn’t find their showers, were always leaning over with grins as if they could get her number just by smiling. No, Garnet preferred the edge seats.

       The small blue women tapped the mic attached to the podium, clearing her throat before saying, “Shut up, for god’s sake. Jesus, act like adults.”

       The entire room fell silent.

       “That’s better. Hi, I’m Lapis Lazuli, and I have P.H.D. in Oceanography, which is more than any of you so don’t even start. Now then, are we ready to begin?”

       A murmur went through the crowd, some whispering over their buddies’ heads to the strangers around them, asking if they knew whom this newcomer was. Some people were indignant at the treatment, as a few were getting their doctorates within a month if all went well (such as Garnet); others respected the woman for putting her foot down.

Garnet sure as hell respected her, while Amethyst, from what Garnet could determine, merely found her amusing.

          Lapis Lazuli cleared her throat again, “Today, we of the ESFC, or Exploring Space for Colonies, are glad to bring you our latest and brightest star. Introducing her is Miss Peridot Saxta Almaz, the women who brought you your holographic computer designs. Please give her a warm welcome,” Lapis flared her hand out towards the left end of lecture room. A woman was standing from a side chair.

          She wore green. Not overwhelmingly, to the point that the green was nauseous or unpleasant, she wore the color well. Pants, dress shoes, with a button down and jacket. The sash that stretched across her chest was black, and the hijab she wore was a lighter green to compliment the ensemble. Overall, Garnet would say she looked the part.

          “Hello class,” The woman waved one hand, her fingers moving more stiffly than they should. She blinked, coughing once and stretching out her hand before her and flexing it a few times, “Hello class.”

          Oh.

          Her arms were prosthetic, the green plastic glinted in the light and Miss Peridot Almaz smiled, “These are not my inventions,” She rolled her sleeves down to reveal the prosthetic continued until her elbow, “No, I’m a computer person. The woman I’m about to introduce you to has been around me for a long time. We designed the Enterprise together, the space shuttle that will launch in three months time, she named it, and she helped me make what is in front of you now. If anyone of you clicks the button on your left, in the arm of your chair, a computer will pop up. This computer can be used for anything really, and it was this computer that my dear friend used to design these arms for me after our previous shuttle exploded in my face and left me armless.”

          The woman’s smile was eerie, almost too good to be real. Amethyst hunkered down in her seat, the same feeling creeping into her mind. Garnet felt the need to pat her roommate’s head, whispering, “I know,” gently.

          “She has a P.H.D. in Prosthetics and Orthotics, she has a P.H.D. in Aerospace Engineering. She even has a P.H.D. in Quantum Mechanics. By far the most brilliant woman I have ever met is here to introduce to you the group ESFC and just how you can be apart of it. I introduce to you: Pearl Huître!” Peridot Almaz swept her arm to the right side of the stage, introducing a petite women that was almost as tall as Garnet. She wore blue. A brilliant blue, and her eyes sparkled with mirth. The women in green went and sat by Lazuli, tucking her feet beneath her and only whispering a little bit before focusing completely on the women who now stood behind the podium.

          Pearl was about their ages, probably just between Garnet and Amethyst. How in the world did she have so much accomplished? She didn’t look intimidating. Her hair was strawberry blonde, cut close to her neck in the back and only slightly longer in the front. The tips of the largest locks curled around her ears. Her outfit wasn’t that impressive either, a simple blue shirt tucked into high-waist yellow pants. The pants had several buttons, all hugging her waist and forcing the viewer to see her hips. She, however, was adorable, “Hello everyone.”

          Garnet was sure half the males in the audience fell in love with her in that moment. Her voice was exquisite, washing over their skins and causing many to grin stupidly. While the heterosexual males, homosexual females, anyone bisexual, and any others who could just appreciate a good looking human were able to see the attraction towards any of the three women who had been on stage, Pearl’s voice was beauty in itself.

          “I’m happy to be here today. When your university offered me a speaking spot in this current “SPACE WEEK” panel, I almost said no. Let’s be honest, they rejected me when I originally applied for being too young,” The woman winked, a light blush brushing her cheeks as she continued, “I, instead, went to Amherst College for undergraduate, graduating with three majors, and went abroad to study for my graduate school. It was fun.”       

          Garnet shifted, sinking into her seat. While before there had been a chance that, just maybe, Pearl would be a disappointment and she would leave, there was none now… this was going to be entertaining. Amethyst wiggled in her seat, excitement stealing over her features.

          “However, I don’t hold grudges,” The woman clicked her tongue, turning to the people that had come before her, her eyes flashed with something… that made Garnet’s gut twist. Not in a bad way, “And I would never prevent the other people my age from reaching for the stars.”

          Amethyst sat on the edge of her seat for the rest of the talk, and Garnet almost did too.

 

          When all of it was over, Pearl having talked for a rough hour and a half, the questions came. Some were interesting, relevant to what Pearl had been introducing, others inappropriate at best. Only one person, however, made Pearl break her demeanor. Even just for a second.

          “Yes?” Pearl asked Garnet. She was a nice woman, allowing everyone to come up and ask individually. She sat on the chair besides Lapis and Peridot, talking to them when a question wasn’t necessarily up her alley, “What might you want to know?”

          “Do you need more people on your research team?” Garnet asked in her head, contemplating joining these people in their research.

          The oceanographer, smart and independent, could digest anything the others threw at her. She contemplated amounts of oxygen and hydrogen, looked at how resources came together, and shared freely. Despite having originally thought she would be more like the various kids in the lecture hall, she had her second dissertation planned for next week over physics.

          The computer expert, while not having a P.H.D. in anything, she was the oldest of the three and had more experience in computers than everyone in the lecture hall combined. She worked diligently, and while Garnet noticed a slight temper when someone questioned her on something she was sure about, she seemed to keep her emotions in check

          And the scientist. To be honest, Garnet didn’t have another explanation for Pearl. She was the perfect astronaut. She had advanced studies in all walks of space, could understand any science jargon thrown at her, and seemed genuinely excited about space. She loved learning, and was a complete nerd. Her colleagues were just as smart as she was; yet she seemed to shine even as she talked about something she had no idea about.

          “Could we discuss joining the ESFC?” Garnet said instead, thinking that was a better question.

          “Oh my goodness! Did I forget to talk about that?” Pearl went blue in the face, stammering, “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I would… forget that.”

          Peridot stepped in and explained.

 

          “Aw man, that was great! Did you see her face when you brought up the fact that she forgot to mention something as important as her organization? Nice going G,” Amethyst placed her hands on the back of her head, elbows sticking out, as she walked, “I was impressed about how cold that was of you, not usually your area.”

          “I wished to join, I needed to know the information,” Garnet pushed her shades into place, watching as a few people rushed past them on their way home. It was getting late, the sun beginning to set early due to the winter.

          “Suppose that’s true, hey wanna go talk to her alone?” The grin that her roommate gave her was scary, almost maniacal.

          “Maybe tomorrow.”

 

          The three of them stood for a second, staring at the last of the people leaving and sighed. Each glanced at the other, small smiles on their faces, slowly slipping across their lips.

          “That was …” Lapis began.

          “Tiring.” Peridot finished.

          “Agreed,” Pearl murmured, giggling and blushing as she twirled where no one could see but her friends, “Let’s never come back here again.”

          “Yeah, did you see how long it took to get them to be quiet? I swear the undergraduates have gotten rowdier.” Lapis yawned, stretching her fingers tips out to her sides and grinning, “It was good to put them in their place though.”

          “Yeah, at least they respected you. “What do you mean you don’t have a P.H.D.?” “Does that mean they’re smarter than you?” They could have at least TRIED to be subtle,” Peridot grumbled, folding her arms across her chest and sighing, “I am REALLY GOOD WITH COMPUTERS DAMN IT, ACKNOWLEDGE MY EXPERIENCE!”

          Pearl touched Peridot’s shaking shoulders, “Hey, we do. You’re smarter than I am when it comes to computers, and Lapis is smarter than both of us when it comes to biology.”

          “We all have our strengths Peri, and that’s why we make a good team. We compliment one another,” Lapis smiled softly, watching as Peridot calmed down.

          “This school is full of jerks. And what was with that question by the really tall woman? I mean, you explained that halfway through! Come to “SPACE WEEK” they said, it’ll be easy they said, but some of those kids hammered us,” Peridot unfolded her arms, throwing them a little into the air for dramatic effect.

          “And sexist. Did you hear how many back to the kitchen comments I heard? I wanted to stab all of them,” Lapis chimed in, brushing her fingers along the length of her skirt to smooth out a wrinkle, “but at least they loved Pearl.”

          “I don’t know wh-“

          “The voice,” Her friends shouted at once, both giggling a little.

          “You get this voice when you’re excited, it’s really cute,” Peridot commented, followed by Lapis.

          “Yeah, it gets all happy and joyful. So unlike the normal you,” She stuck out her tongue.

          Pearl rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

 


	2. The Dinner and The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet has a surprise in store after she performs at her dissertation .\\\

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. This is an official continuing fic. Haven't decided how long it's going to be. It's now Pearlnet. 
> 
> I am shipping trash. I acknowledge this fact.

         Garnet was unenthused with her roommate, as of the moment anyway. The two sides of their dorm stood out from one another, one neat and orderly with a few things thrown here or there, the other a mess of piles and clothing. One focused on geology, Amethyst has rocks glued or taped to every inch of her side, the other on space. Posters of Earth vs. posters of galaxies and star systems adorned the walls, and the only thing shared by the two sides was the table in the middle that held a small TV and DVD player.

          Currently, Amethyst was trying to take one of Garnet’s space posters down.

          “Aw, come on G. I’m here for a whole ‘nuther month after you leave. Why not just let me put up my poster?”

          “Because the poster is on my side, and your geology posters are not allowed on my side.”

          Amethyst grunted, “Hey, this one isn’t Geology… it’s Plate Tectonics. Which isn’t necessarily Geology.”        

          “For someone who is better at calculus than most professors and is getting a doctorate in Geology, you get awfully confused about which science is affiliated with which part of Earth,” Garnet sat on her bed, watching from behind her shades with her arms crossed, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

          “Nah, see, while Plate Tectonics falls under the larger umbrella of Geology, it’s actually its own science. I mean, The Plate Tectonics Theory even has its own class. If you approach that standpoint by saying, “Space Colonization” is just astrophysics or astrobiology, and you can see how ludicrous it is to say Plate Tectonics is Geology. Plate Tectonics is part of Geology,” Amethyst finished and then blinked, realizing she was caught and wouldn’t get the chance to put up her poster.

          “Which means?”  Garnet waited patiently, studying how Amethyst went through the five stages of grief all at once.

          “Fine then G, be missing my awesome ass poster. It doesn’t need you anyway,” Amethyst stuck out her tongue, crinkling her nose before sashaying over to one of her posters and pinning the Plate Tectonics poster over it. This was how most of their arguments over decoration went. Amethyst tried to take some of Garnet’s space, lost, and then just layered her walls. As of the moment, Garnet was sure every inch of Amethyst’s walls had three layers of posters.

          Garnet rolled her eyes and got out of bed, she had the defense of her dissertation to get through.

          Before she left, she heard a small voice ask her, “You gunna take the TV?”

          “No, that’s yours.”

 

          Pearl had read the paper a couple times, digesting the information and enjoying the theories within. When the college had asked her to read it and assess, but not be apart of the actual decision, she had been surprised. Not incredibly so, she wasn’t a board member or teacher with the know how on the inner workings of dissertations, but she had been confused.  After all, the defense of a dissertation was merely a conversation with board members.      

          But she still liked the paper. She had read the ideas behind terraforming, the ways a planet would have to be drilled in order to do things right. She read the part about space suits, and she had enjoyed every second when learning about what the student thought of the universe. Pearl had no doubt that this person was going to be a doctor by the end of the day.

          Now she sat in the back of the room, half hidden, and she watched a tall women enter the room. Her hair was in the style of an Afro, her skin was dark with cool undertones, and she was a good foot taller than the tallest board member. All in all, Pearl felt herself blushing. She was incredibly attractive… and yet…

          Oh my goodness, it was the woman from the other night. Lecture halls did not have the lightening to give this woman the recognition her body deserved. She wore a pantsuit with dark glasses, a black tie bringing the shirt and jacket together, and suddenly Pearl felt very under dressed. Her simple blouse and pants seemed rather meager in comparison.

          Shrinking further into darkness, she listened as details were discussed. The board asked questions (how this could apply to the real world, how current colony ideas could benefit, how the moon might be terraformed, etc), and the woman answered. She spoke in short, concise sentences that gave all the answers anyone might need. Lines of questioning ended as quickly as they came up, and Pearl was quite satisfied by the recommendation she wrote down on her little sheet.

          The college asked for her to sit in, to assess, to read, but not to give a recommendation. Pearl was going to give on anyway. Not to the board, not to the college, but to the woman herself.

          They took a break, the board mentioning lunch and the other people in the room dispersing. She could take her chance now but… she couldn’t remember the woman’s name. Oh to be Pearl in this instant, she was always forgetting the small things. Sure, an equation depicting the way gravity interacts with smaller celestial bodies was easy to memorize, that was just numbers, letters, and symbols, but names always got to her. She remembered faces damn it.

          Pearl didn’t go to lunch, her small appetite non-exsistant in the face of talking to people outside her comfort zone. She didn’t… interact generally. There was Peridot, who was a good friend, Lapis, who was almost as good of a friend as Peridot, and her crew on the shuttle. But, all in all, she just didn’t talk much about things outside of work. People tend to not understand her, blaming social faults on her intelligence.

          These thoughts ate at her. Would she ever interact normally? She was always the butt of everyone’s joke, the one they laughed at when she stumbled over her words. Visual things came easy; showing people how things worked was easy, but explaining something as complicated as a thruster to someone who didn’t care was not easy. Talking to someone about tea was not easy, sitting down for a conversation when you didn’t even know the person was not easy.

          Her phone buzzed, “Hello?”

          “Pearl, how’s the dissertation?” It was Lapis.

          A second voice cut in, meaning Lapis was sharing the call with Peridot, “How is she reacting? Is she any good?”

          “Peridot! You can’t just ask that.”

          “Why not? Keeps it short and simple.”

          “That is not how you talk about educated persons.”

          “You do.”

          “That’s different.”

          “How exactly?”

          The two argued for a bit, Pearl bite her lip and waited; she knew they would calm down eventually. In the meantime, she rocked back and forth, allowing her attention to wander. Time passed. Her thoughts dissipated, her inner monologue ceasing for a while as she focused on a spec on the floor.

          “PEARL!” Both voices yelled at once, Pearl snapped to attention.

          “Yes?”

          “You okay?” Lapis asked, while Peridot made a grunt of concern in the background.

          “Don’t overwork yourself! You know what happens,” Peridot pointed out, and she knew full well what she was talking about.

          “Do you need us to step in? You’ve been busy with the shuttle, why don’t you sleep?”

          “I don’t need sleep,” Pearl insisted, “I’m fine. She spoke well, I’m going to go ahead and make the decision. All went well.”

          Lapis sighed, “If you’re sure…”

          “I’m perfectly fine.”

          “Good, take care of yourself Pearl.” That was Lapis’s way of saying goodbye.

          “For my sake, don’t worry too much.” That was Peridot’s way of saying goodbye.

          “Bye guys,” Pearl hung up.

          She sighed, and then hunched over her clipboard and doodled small circles of equal size around the edges. She made sure to not overlap them, and that they were all perfectly symmetrical. It was times like this that she didn’t mind Lapis and Peridot worrying over her.

          The board came back together before Pearl could think anymore.

          “Congratulations Dr. Igazi. We look forward to seeing the advances you make in your research.”

          And then they began to shake hands, each one touching Dr. Igazi’s hands. Pearl didn’t fear germs, but they were there. In the back of her mind, bothering her. She stood and walked over to the new doctor.

          “Congratulations, I’m excited to see you did well,” And the woman smiled. Pearl’s heart skipped a beat, “I was hoping we could talk privately, at your leisure.”

          Pearl had never seen a brighter smile, “I’d love to, how about dinner?”

          Dinner with someone she didn’t know, at least it wasn’t something harder.

 

          Garnet came back, happy and smiling, to an empty apartment. Amethyst didn’t have any doubt that Garnet would get her P.H.D., and Garnet was appreciative that Amethyst let her celebrate alone. They understood each other enough to respect their different ways of celebrating. Not that Garnet would get away scotch free without doing some sort of dangerous party with her roommate.

          Amethyst and Garnet had both come a long way, fighting to get through school and into college, so there was going to be a load of drinking by the time they both stood free outside of the dorms with respective jobs in hand.

          The only thing that didn’t quite make sense was Doctor Huître. She had come up, asked Garnet to a casual conversation, and now they had dinner planned. Garnet had no idea what to make of this, the sudden explosion of ideas present in her mind left out certain options and she couldn’t risk not taking anything into mind.

          Maybe she was going to be asked out, like a date, or maybe this was to discuss her work. Maybe, just maybe, this was going to be a job offer. The options played themselves out before Garnet, but she wouldn’t jump to conclusions. She would relax, get ready, and then see what this dinner was going to be about. As long as it wasn’t an assassination, she didn’t particularly mind having a reason to avoid Amethyst on an evening of celebration.

 

          Arriving at the little out of the way place Doctor Huître had suggested, at the time Garnet has chosen, Garnet stood. She was in comfortable, but still somewhat formal, clothing. The server sat her down, with a wink that was rather disconcerting, and she waited.

          It was only a little later that Doctor Huître showed, being precisely on time down to the second, and Garnet smiled, extending a hand in polite respect. The woman hesitated, only briefly, and shook Garnet’s hand.

          “Hello Doctor Igazi, do you want to order first?” The woman sat, Garnet sat, and they began to chat quietly, almost comfortable.

          “If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to discuss things first,” Garnet waved down the server.

          “What can I get you guys to drink?” He was a young man, an undergraduate in the physics program that Garnet had seem a couple times.

          “I’ll have tea please,” Said her dinner partner, wrinkling her long nose when the server asked what kind, “Earl Grey, Hot.”

          He nodded, quickly scratching down her order and Garnet choked down a laugh. Doctor Pearl Huître was a _nerd._

          “Well at least someone understood my reference.”

          “I’ll have coffee, black.”

          The server nodded, slightly confused but smiling, “I’ll be right back.”

          “Star trek fan?” Garnet asked, leaning back into her chair, might as well get comfortable.

          “Truly, I love all science-fiction and fantasy stories. DS9 is my favorite in terms of actual development, but The Next Gen has amazing characters,” The look on her face made it seem like she was embarrassed, and Garnet watched as she began to pull inward without actually moving at all.

          “I prefer Original Series, but I can understand the attraction of the other two, Doctor Huître.”

          “Oh please, just call me Pearl,” Pearl waved her hand slightly, her voice had a mild jittery quality. She tapped on the table in a consistent beat.

          “Then call me Garnet,” Garnet smiled again, and the woman seemed to relax a little more.

          “So I bet you’re wondering what I wanted to talk to you about?” Pearl asked and, just as Garnet was about to say something alone the lines of yes, the server came back with their drinks.

          He smiled a little, handing Pearl her tea bags directly and placing the steaming cup of water on the table, “We had a lot of complaints from customers who said we steeped the tea too long or not long enough, so we give you the hot water and the bags. Hope you don’t mind.”

          “Oh no, not at all.”

          He turned to Garnet and placed the black liquid before her, setting a few packets of sugar beside it, “Sorry, required.”

          She nodded and watched as he began to fidget. He stood there, a minute or so passing, and then sighed.

          “Something wrong?” Asked Pearl, her voice soft.

          “Can I get your autograph? I’m so sorry, I know you’re probably busy but you’re the reason I decided to study Physics! I love your work, and the stuff you’ve been doing on the ISS? It’s amazing. Please? I’m just a big nerd that wants your autograph.” He fidgeted, and Pearl smiled. It was sweet, indulgent of her really, and kind.

          “Of course, anything for a fellow scientist. I bet you’ll be making your own discoveries soon enough.”

          The whole interaction amused Garnet, and she watched as Pearl signed the small pad the server had before he left glowing; he was happy and doing a little dance along the way to his next table.

          “Anyway,” Pearl’s smile was more towards herself than Garnet now, just happy to see her work acknowledge if Garnet had to guess, “I want to offer you a position in our crew. You have extensive knowledge of life in space, have developed many prototypes that would solve several problems, and you’re bloody brilliant.”

          Pearl blushed when she was done.

          Garnet sat frozen. She panicked, while having thought of the possibility… thinking of something and being in the situation itself was entirely different.

          Pearl squirmed in her seat, waiting for Garnet to say something. Minutes passed, and then Garnet blurted, “Yes,” just as the server came back to the table.

          Confused, and a little concerned, he stood still and waited for something to happen.

          The whole restaurant seemed to freeze and Pearl slowly grinned. Slowly, starting out as nothing and then increasing in brightness, her eyes simply glowing a little more at each increment, “Thank you.”

          The spell broken, the server asked, “Do you know what you’ll be eating today?”

          “Scallops please, with a side of butter?” Pearl handed him the menu, waiting until he had written everything down before smiling. She hadn’t even needed to look; Garnet wondered how often she came here.

          “And your new exploratory partner?”

          Garnet took a stab in the dark and guessed at something that was usually on this kind of menu, “Steak, medium-rare, side of mushrooms.”

          He practically ran away.

          The rest of the dinner went wonderfully.

 

          Upon arriving home, Amethyst noticed. She didn’t just notice, she knew with every grin she gave Garnet and every movement she did as a way to invoke a reaction, she knew.

          But she wasn’t going to say anything until Garnet spoke first because that was just no fun.

 

 


	3. A Tour and A Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst and Pearl have a conversation

            Amethyst didn’t understand this Garnet. She was funny, smiling, excited and intrigued. Nothing had been said out loud, but Amethyst could tell. She was… happy. So very happy, and Amethyst was happy for her. Amethyst was also intrigued to meet Garnet’s coworkers.

           “Hello, you must be Amethyst,” said the woman. She was Doctor Pearl Huître, the person Amethyst had convinced Garnet to listen too a while ago. A week after Garnet’s dissertation, Amethyst had been without a roommate. It was this person’s fault.

          “Yeah, that’s me. You must be Doctor Huître,” Amethyst sneered just slightly, just enough that Garnet could see from her stance to the side. It looked like a smile to other people, especially to those who didn’t really understand social interactions anyway.

          The three of them were standing in the crew’s break room, Garnet had invited Amethyst for a tour, and half way through they’d caught the good Doctor getting tea.

          “Oh please, any friend of Garnet can just call me Pearl,” the woman smiled, but it was… small. Cute in a way, just the lifting of the corner of her lips, just enough to glow.

          Amethyst wasn’t jealous, or at least she tried to convince herself of that. She wasn’t mad or upset about being left alone… it was just…

          Pearl’s look disrupted her thoughts; she looked like she was thinking about something. No one said anything, Amethyst and Pearl exchanged looks for a few seconds. The pregnant pause ended when Pearl said; “Actually, I was very eager to talk to you in private. Do you think you could come talk to me in the shuttle bay when Garnet is done with your tour?”

           She was smiling, happy, and contagious. Amethyst was finding it really hard to dislike her, and she knew she couldn’t just be a child about this, “Yeah, I have time.”

          Pearl clapped her hands together, extending them in front of her while bouncing on the balls of her feet, “Oh excellent! I’ll see you then,” The woman turned to go, grabbing her tea on the way, “Garnet, mind checking Peri’s numbers? She hates it when I do but… seeing as how… you’re new….”

          Garnet nodded, and Pearl swished out with a smile and a hop, her grace making it seem like she danced rather than walked.

          “Amethyst, don’t worry. We’re still friends, and when you finish school, we’ll be roommates again,” Garnet turned and responded to the earlier sneer without even breaking to address the fact that Pearl wanted to talk to Amethyst.

          Amethyst cringed, “Yeah, I’m sorry G...” She choked back tears, “I just miss ya. And sometimes… sometimes I wonder if you’ll ever wanna be my friend again when you’re surrounded by people who, you know, love what you love. Why wouldn’t you just be friends with -”

          Garnet pulled her in for a hug, silencing her before she could finish, “You’re my friend Amethyst, and you’re my roommate.”

          The tour ended about an hour later, and Amethyst felt jittery. The last time a P.H.D. had talked to her in private, who wasn’t Garnet, they’d been telling her that she wasn’t qualified to go to graduate school. They’d mentioned certain things, and she wasn’t about to listen to that from someone who Garnet worked with, no matter how cute they were.

 

“Oh Amethyst! There you are! I was worried you’d forgotten,” Pearl’s voice called out, but Amethyst didn’t see anything.

          “Um… Doctor… Pearl?”

          They were in the “shuttle” room, named so because the previous owner of the building had labeled the room with a small tag via super glue. In the middle of the room there was a platform holding a gigantic cone that looked like it had been pulled apart and destroyed. The rest of the room had a few tables, parts covering their surfaces. If Amethyst hadn’t known better, she’d say this was a chop shop.

          “Oh, sorry,” The voice sounded like it was muffled, trapped beneath something, “Sorry, I went ahead and started building this prototype while I was waiting for you. Just give me…” A loud clunking echoed through the room, “Ha! That never worked before. Just one second, I apologize.”

          Amethyst stood still for a second longer, listening to the sounds that seemed to come from nowhere, “Are you under the thing in the middle?”

          “What?” She heard Pearl hit something, and a yelp followed, “Oh, yeah. It’s bigger than it looks. I’m really,” The woman huffed something beneath her breath that Amethyst couldn’t quite hear, “I’m really inside it, not under.”

          “Ah,” Amethyst dropped to her knees to look under the cone and saw thin, white legs visible, “You’re a dork.”

          A pause happened in the sounds coming from the machine, “Did you… did you just call me a dork?”

          “Um, yeah. I mean you’re apologizing for getting excited about … whatever this is. This is awesome, and just because I don’t see how to put it together doesn’t mean I can’t recognize that.”

          A head appeared in a hole that Amethyst hadn’t noticed, the woman was grinning with a smudge of black across her forehead. Amethyst hadn’t noticed before, but her eyes were a light blue in color… and they absolutely glittered like Amethyst had given her the world with her words, “Thank you!” Her face turned to one of disgust, “I’m filthy aren’t I?”

          “Well, you look like someone who’s never changed the oil in their car before if you know what I mean,” Not true, but Amethyst wasn’t one to not take an opportunity.

          “Ugh, I need to take a shower.” Pearl’s head disappeared and more sounds were heard, “Might as well finish though, it would be useless to clean and then get dirty again. One se-,” A loud bang was heard, “My LORD and LADY that hurt.”

          “You okay?” Amethyst began to look around the room, poking at the various parts and mechanical bits. This wasn’t her specialty, but it looked cool.

          “Oh I’m fine, if I was really hurt I would say something like, “SPACE AND VINEGAR” or something equally obtuse and ridiculous,” Someone tapped her shoulder.

          Amethyst spun, not having noticed the change in Pearl’s voice, and took in the person before her. While having seen her dressed up, she wasn’t prepared for what she saw now. Pearl was tall, probably near Garnet in height, and she was wearing overalls in contrast to the shirt and high-waist pants she’d seen earlier. Despite saying she was filthy, the only dirt on the woman stayed to her hands and forehead, a little on her cheeks when she scratched at one and laughed hesitantly.

          “About what I wanted to talk to you about, if you have any questions before hand, about the mission or whatever else, I’ll answer them.”

          “Any question?”

          Pearl blinked, her brow creasing for just a second, “Yes, any question.”

          “Cool.”

          Pearl blinked, startled a little, but then she smiled, “You’re getting a P.H.D. in geology right?”

          Amethyst put her guards up, stiffened her pose and jutted out her chin, “Yeah, what of it?”

          Pearl shifted between her feet for a second, absently rubbing at the clothe in her hands, “Mind following me?

          Taking a last look at the tables, Amethyst following Pearl out of the room and into another. This room has charts on the walls, each showing different varieties of concentrations. Some charts are about rocks, some about crystalline substances, one is over tectonic structures.

          “Welcome to the geology room,” Pearl watched her, and Amethyst got excited, bouncing over to the charts and looking at the figures.

          The first chart is about a planet’s metamorphic vs. sedimentary rock percentages. Igneous seems to be excluded from the results. The next chart is over the process required to change the planet to produce more of the sedimentary rocks needed to make it livable. So on and so on, each is interesting and showcases something to relate to everything else. If Amethyst hadn’t been so excited, she might have noticed Pearl had left, cleaned up, come back, and leaned against a wall in her previous clothes.

          “This is awesome,” Amethyst breathed, taking in the stance Pearl took as she leaned against the wall. Her eyes followed Amethyst’s movements; her legs were politely crossed at the ankles with her feet pointed out, her hands embracing one another. She looked happy, quite a bit like Garnet, “What?”

          “To be honest, I wanted to hear your reactions, see if you thought this was interesting. See, our geologist is rather …” Pearl pursed her lips, “Unhappy to have a newbie on the team. Since Garnet just received her doctorate, she counts as a newbie. Some think that people just getting out of college can’t do much. To go further in my honesty, I did quite a few of my major discoveries coming out of college and find this to be, excuse my language, bull crap. I want to hire you, as soon as you finish school.”

          The world shut down around Amethyst. Pearl was still there, not smiling but not looking un-encouraging either. She was being patient, waiting, and Amethyst could see black at the edge of her vision as she tried to process what was just said. Working with Garnet would be amazing, but who would want to hire her? She was a nobody. She’d come out of Chicago with a bad ethnicity and a rotten behavioral complex. She had to work hard to be smart; it didn’t just come to her like the other doctorates in training.

          “What?” She heard the words tumble from her mouth, “What do you mean you want to hire me?”

          “I want to hire you, I have a feeling you’ll be a much better geologist than the idiot who can’t use proper pronouns currently sulking about out halls,” Pearl glanced left and right, “I dislike him. And you come with good recommendations.”

          “You…. dislike… him… But you don’t know me?”

          Pearl shrugged, “Garnet does.”

          “You barely know Garnet.”

          “True, but I’m going to get to know her. Just as I’m going to get to know you. You don’t have to take the job, but the offer is there. I think you’d do well here.”

          Do well here. Amethyst felt something bubble up in her chest; she felt it rip apart her lungs as she laughed so hard she couldn’t breath. She doubled over, gripping her knees to stay off the floor. Tears began to flow down her cheeks

          “Is something wrong?”

          Amethyst wiped the tears from her face and stood up straight, “Can I put rocks on the walls?”

          “Minerals too if you want, it’s your office,” Pearl smiled, but her smile changed to a look of confusion when Amethyst soft-tackled her for a hug.

          “Thank you.”

          Pearl placed her hand on top of Amethyst’s head, “You’re welcome.”

          They stood for a bit, Amethyst hugging and Pearl accepting, before the hug was broken. Pearl whispered, “Let’s get your paperwork in order?”           

          “Yeah, good idea. Do it before you change your mind.”

           

         _ **Bonus:**_

          “What do you mean I’m fired?” There was a man standing in front of her desk, glaring and screaming profanities. She wasn’t often sitting at her desk, but she had sat herself down and waited for him just so she could see the look on his face. While Lapis would have truly enjoyed this, and upon finding out about his sudden change in employment had been more than eager, Pearl felt it was her responsibility to deal with him.

          Pearl smiled as he continued with threats; she looked down at the picture of the grinning Amethyst on her desk that had to be submitted for an ID card. Two weeks for an ID card. Garnet didn’t have one yet, but Peri had helped her design and set up their thumbprint scan that would work until then, “I mean, Dr. Johnson, that I found a better fit who actually knows the value of pronouns.”

          The look on his face was priceless.

          “Oh of course this is what this is about! You’re just mad that the director knows about your backward ways now,” The man sneered. He slammed his palms down on her desk, trying to intimidate her.

          “Marty, I think you need to leave before I call security.”

          Though, Pearl thought, how nice would it be to grab her fencing sword? It was just behind her, on the wall, and she could threaten him with that.

          “Whatever Pearl, they’ll all know eventually,” His sneer turned into a leer as he tried to peer down at her non-existent chest. Well, not non-existent. She was like… an A cup. Lapis AND Peri would laugh at her if they’d been able to hear her inner dialogue right now.

          “Well half of them already do, so good luck with that whole revenge thing of yours,” Pearl winked as she saw the thin, stiff-haired man glower at her. He pushed away from the desk, trying to square up his chest and be intimidating.

          He was so small though, “This isn’t the last time you’ll see me.”

          He stomped away and she smiled.

          “Besides, the director is I.”

          Pearl giggled.


	4. How Mornings Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is really a filler chapter to segway into the next meaty piece - it's the mornings of the scientists (Lapis, Peridot, and Pearl) so you can see more into how I'm characterizing them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knew very little about Muslim culture before writing this because, I’ll be honest, I never really thought to learn more. Now that I did, I learned a lot and I tried to portray things correctly and honestly. However, if I didn’t I am extremely sorry. Please tell me, and I will learn and fix it. I got all information from this site - (http://www.newmuslims.com).

          An alarm went off. It wasn’t loud, just a gentle little tune that played in the background. It was only loud enough to wake her and not Lapis, because the last time someone had woken Lapis early no one had been happy. Peridot blinked and took in the light green of her ceiling.

          “All praise is for Allah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto him is the Resurrection,” Slipped out of her mouth without thinking. That wasn’t the right way to do it though, and she grimaced at her own nonchalance. She repeated it, focusing on the meaning behind the words. Upon being satisfied with her commitment, she turned and took in the time of her green alarm clock. The numbers were too bright to be read.

          Most of her room was green, it was her favorite color and she would rather eat Lapis than not spend the little extra to make herself more comfortable. Thinking to stretch her fingers, she sat up and interwove her digits together and stretched above her head, arching her back away from her. It wasn’t until her hand came back down that she realized she didn’t actually have her hands attached currently.

          They were on her nightstand.

          Her alarm went off again, and she was careful to not just step out of bed. Her toes itched, and she wanted to tap against her thigh, but that couldn’t be done. She had neither of these limbs. A cry came up her throat, only to be swallowed at the last second when she realized that Lapis might hear.

          It was like this every morning. Of course she had a nurse asleep on her couch, ready to leap up and help with the attachment of her limbs, but no one was allowed to see her in this state (except for Allah because nothing could be hidden from Him), nurse or not. She would rather struggle on her own, she would rather Pearl be there fussing over her, than some stranger that didn’t even understand phantom pains were still painful. Pearl understood that.

          Pearl understood a lot of things really, and so did Lapis, but neither were here to help.

          She used her teeth to get the first arm somewhat attached. The thought of the gentle programming that went into the arm made her cringe, that and hardened plastic was tough on teeth. She tried the fingers a little bit. Since it wasn’t a complete attachment, the fingers only flexed a little. The movement was stiff, like the older prosthetic models before Pearl’s, and hardly useable on the other arm.

          Peridot would work with what she had. Using the stiff movements, she attached the other arm fully. A clip here, strap there, etc, and then it was moving and she could sigh in relief. The phantom pain was gone for now, and the other arm could be attached properly. Her alarm went off again.

          Satisfied with the one attached, she tested it. Full range of motion, full use of fingers, and full grip strength all checked on the little list she had in her mind. She was happy, and Allah willing, looked forward to good day. Never had she gotten her prosthetics on the first try.

          She fixed the other arm using the properly attached one, then checked to make sure everything was working. Her legs, tucked neatly under the bed frame, were next. While she had shown her arms to multiple people, they were rather hard to hide when her hands were green; no one quite knew the damage her legs had taken besides Pearl. Not even Lapis knew really, all she knew was that Peridot needed help when walking long distance (her legs attached at the knee and, unless she remembered to pad them, it hurt).

          Her legs passed her checklist and then she sighed, wiggling her toes and pretending she could feel the carpet beneath her feet. Sometimes, she wondered about Allah doing this to her. He had to will this to happen, he had to decide that she was better off without her legs and arms. But, then she would remind herself how much focus she was able to put into her work. How little distractions, like a burning torch, affected her. Allah had willed it for a reason, and with that in mind, she stood and touched her toes.

          Checking to make sure she was not menstruating, and happy to find that she hadn’t bled on her white sheets or robe, she prepared to go to the bathroom. She double-checked to make sure she hadn’t woken anyone, and then turned off her alarm and waited a few seconds, content to hear that Lapis and her nurse were sleeping.

          “Bis-millah, I begin with the name of Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge in you from evil and evil things,” Then she stepped forward, careful to make sure it was her left foot that entered first. The rest of her bathroom time went as usual, using her left hand as was appropriate and brushing her teeth. Her words were spoken, clear and with care, and she finally left the bathroom with the words:

          “Your forgiveness.”

          Now she performed Salah. It was one of her favorite parts of the day, concentration and careful pronunciation meaning she was giving more to Allah and would, therefore, be giving more to herself. This prayer was one of the most important, and she would not treat it lightly.

          Upon finishing, she stood fully and dressed. Her clothes were tough to pick, she was going to be working with Pearl on electronics, so she was never truly dirty, but she needed to be careful to pick the right clothes for the job. She hummed one of her favorite songs, tapping slightly against the wood frame of her closet as she decided on her favorite dress. Older members of her mosque judged her clothing. It was hard sometimes, knowing she could go out and wear things that would look wonderful and amazing… but she needed to be strong and remember, even on the tough days, that some people would judge.

          She winced when her clothes caught on the edges of prosthetics and realized she should ask Pearl for help in creating a perfect seal. Or, she could live with it. She was lucky enough that Pearl had been there, had it been any other scientist they might had just told her to never try walking again. She would worry about it later.

          An ache began in her knee and she went for breakfast.

 

          Lapis was awake now, in the kitchen and setting out bowls of fruit. Her nurse looked over from the counter top she leaned against, her disapproval strong in her gaze but she said nothing.

          “You do your breakfast thing lovely Peri, I got the stuff all set out.”

          Thank Allah she didn’t live with someone who condemned her faith.

 

* * *

 

          

          Lapis had, of course, woken with Peri’s alarm. Of course she had, she knew about the struggle Peri went through every morning, and she hated it. She could hear the cry, the whimper of pain. She could hear the muttered thanks for a god that might not even be able to hear. She hated it.

          The nurse might have hated it more.

          She stood and dressed, careful not to let Peri think she was awake. Had she been awake, Peri might not pray until Lapis had left and then she would be late for work. Lapis would never forgive herself if that happened again; Pearl’s reprimand had been more than enough for her to not think twice.

          She crawled back into bed when Peri’s soft footfalls approached her door. Her door was always open, and Peri was always welcome… but the only time Peri even approached her room was just to peek inside and check on her sleeping figure... fake sleeping.

          She rose and began to prepare breakfast so that Peri had one less thing to be concerned with, for Lapis never ate breakfast with Peri and everyone was always suspicious that she didn’t eat at all. She ate. Just before Peri so that the nurse could eat, and Lapis could have something processed. No one was going to eat processed goods in front of Peri, not in this house, because Peri dealt with enough nay-sayers in her life that she didn’t need it from the people she lived with.

          No one needed that from the people they lived with. Lapis would kick every ass she found that yanked on Peri’s hijab, and she would tear apart the men that screamed, “Go back to your own country,” and she would fight and fight and fight.

          But nothing could stop the words from making Peri cry when she was alone at night and curled up in her own bed. Nothing could stop Peri from hiding because of some stupid rule and nothing could stop Pearl fussing that Peri seemed a little down today.

          Of course she felt down. It was the twenty-third century and people still thought of the Muslim faith like it was a cancer or something. Pearl understood that, Pearl was even good at helping Peri make all the little things happen that were supposed to (like giving her a break when it was time to pray, and putting things in the break room that could be eaten at lunch). Lapis couldn’t do that.

          Lapis could kick ass, take names, and make people see Peri for Peri though.

          She saw Peri enter the kitchen, “You do your breakfast thing lovely Peri, I got the stuff all set out.”

          She could only do her best.

 

* * *

 

 

          Pearl woke up alone, in a small flat. Everyone was living in this city for the project, the wonderfully cold city, and then everything would be shipped to the appropriate place. Now, though, Pearl was just cold.

          She groaned and swiveled in bed, only holding up her torso just enough that it wouldn’t drag along the sheets she hated having to fix. Then, she stayed in her position for a bit. Her legs and feet touched wood, due to her bed being IN the ground, and her back was against the soft of the mattress. Her pillow was partially beneath her head, as she’d been too lazy to fully lift her head when she’d turned.  

          It wasn’t that it was too early, it was just… all the stress made her sleep less than restful. They had a timetable to meet, as well as a budget, and she wasn’t going to fall behind. However, her thoughts were interrupted when her alarm repeated itself.

          She stood to turn off the small clock on the wall that was just repeating numbers at her.

          “It is six o’ clock,” The thing chimed, not understanding that its overly happy attitude made Pearl rather disagreeable.

          “Oh just shut up,” Pearl was a morning person, she really was, but she wasn’t in the mood on this morning. Having gotten absorbed into Amethyst’s paperwork and finishing her prototype, she’d left the office at eleven, gotten home at one, and had only just gotten to sleep at two. She would have to hide under her desk and nap today.

          It was Garnet’s official first day at work too and Pearl had to sigh, happy to know that at least some work was going to get done now that Garnet was done with the training and touring. Garnet also had no one else to give a tour to, so she would be undistracted. At least for today.

          Pearl pushed herself up and onto her elbows, taking in the small dresser that was across the room. Her variety in her choice of clothing was small, generally keeping to pants and nice shirts. T-shirts that looked nice were always acceptable if one also wore suspenders. But the dresser was over there and the large shirt that currently went halfway down to her knees was warm. It took quite a bit of courage, and quite a bit of self-lecturing, but she made it up and to the dresser without an incident.

          Lapis and Peridot might just flip if she had another one.

          It took several minutes to decide on just the right color combination. While not owning a lick of yellow, it was far to bright a color, she did enjoy muted oranges and darkened greens. Perhaps one of those would work for her shirt today. With brown pants… best go with the green.

          Pearl giggled at her own joke and then sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She was already running out of energy. Best skip breakfast today, she sighed and made her way to the bathroom.  

          She stared a good long minute in the mirror. She’d never done this before, never had the audacity to look herself in the eyes, but she’d heard Garnet mention it the other day and thought she might try it.

          She didn’t like what she saw. Her eyes were bloodshot, their blue hue dull, and her hair was a mess. While not taking long to fix up the hair, her tired expression and fake smile did nothing to help her esteem. Long fingers were used to press at her cheeks, tap at her nose, and brush her hair away from her eyes. Another sigh, another wave of dislike. She would never do this again.

          With nothing else to be done in the bathroom (she didn’t wear makeup, by the Lord and Lady she was way too pale to find a foundation for her skin … come to think of it - Garnet probably had the same problem on the other end of the spectrum with shades that were never dark enough), she decided to leave for work. At least she would be at the office by 7:30, and then she’d be happy and getting work done.

          

* * *

 

 

           Garnet stepped into work happy. Peridot waved hello and gave a smile from her place behind a computer screen. It was odd, as Garnet wasn’t used to seeing her at this particular computer and she’d head that Peridot was supposed to be with Pearl today, but she supposed that it probably wasn’t that unusual. She had been here less than two weeks after all.

          “Hey Garnet, mind doing a check over Lapis’s water thoughts today? She needed to discuss them with someone yesterday and I’m busy debugging the entire system. Who the hell downloads porn at work?” The woman grumbled, asking for someone.

          “Did you need someone?” Garnet asked, and Peridot blushed.

          “Ah, no… I was just asking for strength. Excuse me,” Then she ducked her head to avoid eye contact and continued working.

          Garnet went about her normal work, and made sure to contact Lapis.

          No, you can’t just melt ice on a planet with no atmosphere and not expect something terrible to happen.

 ... 

          Towards the end of the day, nobody was quite sure where Pearl was. Her broken down part in the shuttle room was almost completed, and Amethyst hadn’t seen her work on it all day. Which meant that she’d done all that work yesterday. Which meant she was exhausted…. Which meant…

          Garnet found her under her desk.

          She was adorable, her head curled into her elbow and her nose twitched as her hair dipped to touch it every few seconds. Her pants looked uncomfortable in that position, but her body was relaxed, at ease with what was around her.

          Lapis bumped Garnet’s shoulder, and Garnet moved back to see what was needed of her. It was just a blanket in the small woman’s hand. It was hand-sewn, pink around the edges and a rose in the middle.

          “Here, she won’t wake up easy without this,” The woman whispered, “It was her best-friend’s gift to her before she came into this project. They haven’t seen each other in awhile… and Pearl grew up underneath her wing so it’s kinda important to her.”

          “Why’s it here then?” Garnet asked as she took it in her hands. It was soft, extremely so, and already warm against her palms. She draped it over Pearl and watched as the small being smiled in her sleep and curled up a little tighter.

          “Because she sleeps more often here than at home. She can’t really… operate quite at the same level when she doesn’t,” Lapis tugged at Garnet’s sleeve and she followed without another question.

          Until they reached the hallway, where a wild person wearing an egregious amount of purple appeared.

           “So when do I get the end all statement of what this project is doin’?” Amethyst bounced up to her and asked, then she snorted, “I’ll be honest, I took the job without knowing.”

          “I don’t know Amethyst, do you know what you’re supposed to be doing today? You were here earlier too, shouldn’t you be getting ready for your dissertation?”

          “Going to class is second in my priorities list, but don’t worry G, I got this covered. I came here to grab some mineral stuff. I got an idea,” Amethyst winked and trotted away before Garnet could ask anything else.

          “I love her,” Lapis giggled, “She’s so… unique. Need more people like that.”           

          “That’s one way to put it.”

 

 


	5. Marty's Blunder And Peridot's Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet shows up to a locked down building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is like... a major conflict of the story, re-introducing our repeat villain of Marty. Before, I didn't really have an idea of where I was going to take this BUT, I'm proud to say, I figured out a cool story line that'll work in this universe. I might do a chapter that occasionally just explains background, but for the most part I'm going to be dishing out some meat filled story arcs. I hope you guys enjoy.

          Garnet arrived with Amethyst trotting beside her to a building under lockdown. Her place of work was a lab, previously some sort of factory that had been converted by Pearl and her gang of followers. It was a little out of the way and partially hidden by a forest. While highly unlikely someone had broken in, Garnet wasn’t taking any chances. Pearl had slept under her desk again, with Peridot staying behind to sleep in a guest room so she could wake Pearl in the morning. That meant there was at least two people in danger.

          Why there were guest rooms in a lab, Garnet could not explain, but it had been a handy idea since final touches were to be done on the majority of the project today. Pearl was ahead of schedule, as the crew had told Garnet in unison with a roll of everyone’s eyes, but sooner was on time and on time was late.

          Amethyst started climbing the building.

          "What are you doing?” Garnet glanced at her friend for a second, contemplating stopping her, before she just sighed and began to head to the “secret” entrance Lapis had decided was necessary.

          “I’m climbing G! What’s it look like? Besides, bet I’ll get in before you,” Amethyst paused, swinging by one arm to stick out her tongue at Garnet.

          “You’re on.”

          The two took their respective paths, one more dangerous than the other, but still perfectly viable. Garnet now had her I.D. so she could get in via the “secret” entrance… Amethyst did not and would probably just smash in the panel upon reaching the roof entrance.

          The “secret” entrance was really just a small door around the side of the building. What made it secret was the vines that had grown up and over the door handle, masking the true way someone could get in. The card slider, retinal scan, and thumb print scanner made the whole things a little obvious to anyone looking.

          Garnet stepped inside just as a large crash was heard on the roof.

          Rolling her eyes behind her shades, she examined the hallway in front of her. The layout of the factory/lab was rather simple, it had to be seeing as it hadn’t always been a lab, but this hallway was different. It spiked off and went multiple directions before hitting a dead end. Garnet had never been down this way before, only having known about it because Lapis had been locked out of the front entrance the day before and had to come in this way to a snickering Peridot and Pearl.

          Sometimes she wondered about the maturity of her fellow scientists.

          Taking the first hallway on her left, Garnet quickly realized she was in Pearl’s quadrant. While Amethyst had yet to be informed, there were four main masses of rooms. One belong to Lapis and the other planet based specialists (life, water, rocks, etc belonged here), all reporting to Lapis when they had something to share. The next belonged to Peridot, with other computer and electronic specialists reporting to her when they have ideas. One belonged to designers, engineers, and those who were making sure all the ideas worked together. That quadrant had yet to receive a leadership role so they generally reported to Pearl, who was also in charge of the miscellaneous crew. This crew had a haphazard arrangement of doing all the bits in between everyone else’s jobs.

          Pearl was rather happy to have the crewmembers whose specialties didn’t quite fit in other places, and she had a broad enough range of knowledge that she could correctly lead and help those in need. It impressed Garnet, but now was not the time to get distracted as they also had both the cleanest and most disorganized work places.

          The rooms in Pearl’s quadrant had been carved out of the factories rooms, with chopped down walls to make some rooms bigger and blocked off hallways to create sterile environments. Pearl herself had a rule that any changes had to make sense and flow with the overall structure, but anything could make sense and flow if done right.

          Garnet quickly got lost, only coming upon Amethyst by chance, “Hey G! Guess what I did?  I found the way in! It was awesome ‘cause there was this ten foot drop between the door and the actual floor below and I got to do flips and stunts on the way down,” Amethyst was grinning, and also bruised.

          “Are you hurt?”

          Amethyst made a “pffft” noise followed by a wave of her hand, “Me? Come on G, you know the damage I can take. Let’s go find Pearl and ask about the lockdown!”

          Garnet followed her white-haired companion, taking in the fact that Amethyst had actually worn nice shoes for once.

          A few minutes later, Pearl’s office came into view. Generally, Pearl’s office marked the beginning of a maze and Garnet wouldn’t stray past. She was happy that, on this occasion, it also marked her exit from the maze.

          Pearl wasn’t in her office. The blanket Lapis kept on a shelf by the desk was still there, the pillow that went in a small chest by the door hadn’t moved, and the desk was immaculate.

          “Pickles and cheese, I was hoping Pearl would be here,” Amethyst scratched the back of her head, grumbling under her breath.

          “Should we try Peridot’s room?” Garnet crossed her arm on top of her chest, humming  to herself.

          “Yeah, come on G, I’ll lead,” Amethyst hummed back, following the tune and adding a baseline.

          Now that they were out of Pearl’s quadrant, and moving into Peridot’s, things went much smoother. Peridot was an organization master, everything had its place and nothing got broken. If it did, she generally punted that person out the door with a single exclamation of, “Stop breaking my stuff!”

          Needless to say, the people underneath her were meticulous.

          The hallway of guest rooms was in Peridot’s quadrant because Lapis refused to have it in hers. Something about people not working hard enough, and Pearl’s mess of rooms was too difficult to navigate for people who didn’t work there everyday. The engineers had complained that their space was already full, so the guest rooms were all green and nicely stocked with various needs and a bathroom. Peridot was an excellent host.

          Garnet was impressed to say the least, and Amethyst was excited. Any workplace that had a bed in it was irresistible for her roommate. There were eight rooms, each occupied as of the moment with Pearl pushing everyone to move faster and work harder.

          A knock on two doors, a blurry-eyed engineer behind one and a coffee driven biologist behind the other, was how they discovered that Peridot always slept in the last room of the hall. Always and without fail, it would be the last room on the left.

          However, they shouldn’t disturb Peridot unless they wanted Lapis’s fury rained upon their heads.

          Both took the hint and left. The building was still locked down, with no sign of intruders… so what…

          An alarm went off and behind them, every guest room door slammed open with each person scrambling out and past Garnet and Amethyst.

          “That was good timing,” Amethyst whooped as she chased after the biologist that seemed to be the most awake.

          Garnet trailed behind, not needing to waste as much energy in keeping up.

          In the middle of the factory was neutral space. This was where the four quadrants overlapped and the necessary things were both built, tested, fixed, and people were trained. Someone was screaming. From the sound of the voice, Garnet assumed it was Pearl.

          “Peri!”

          Garnet sprinted forward, pushing past everyone ahead of her in a few powerful steps. Amethyst wasn’t far behind, practically rolling forward and between people’s legs to escape being in the middle of seven other people.

          The room they entered next was the room that held their actual shuttle craft. It was large, with the shuttle broken into four main pieces and placed in each corner so people could work individually. In the center was a circular, raised platform covered in an array of computers with multiple holographic screens to permit maximum interfacing.

          Peridot was on the floor in the middle of the array, her entire body vibrating with foam coming from the corner of her mouth.

          Pearl was trying to touch her, but every-time she went in she quickly pulled her hand away and made a hollow screaming sound, “Peri, Peri, Peri,” was a chant that quickly filled Garnet’s mind with a sense of urgency. Pearl was dodging and dipping, back and forth, trying to find a way onto the platform that didn’t have her touching the dark puddle beneath Peridot.

          Water was on the platform and the entire platform was one large electronic puzzle.

          “Shit!” Came from the mouth of the biologist, “I told him that was a terrible prank. What the hell was he thinking.”

          Garnet didn’t have time to think, she sprinted forward and slammed her fist into the nearest computer module, begging that destroying one would shut down the others. There was only a slight shock before the module turned off.  Amethyst had a different reaction; she turned around, socked the biologist as hard as she could, then rolled past Peridot and yanked the small woman out of the water without ever touching her skin or the ground.

          “Why does this always happen to Peri?” Pearl muttered, watched as the computer shut down and the flow of electricity stopped. Garnet grinned to herself, happy to see something worked. She yanked her fist out a second later.

          “Um… guys?” Amethyst called, cradling Peridot in her arms, “She’s not breathing?”

          Pearl jerked into action then, performing CPR and yelling at the top of her voice, “Computer call 911!”

         The response, “I’m on it,” did not come from the overhead AI that Pearl was testing in the shuttle room, but from Lapis who had just managed to arrive with a plastic bag on her arm and a shocked expression.

          Peridot was breathing by the time the EMTs arrived and took her to the hospital.

          Lapis, Garnet, and Pearl stood looking at each other for a good minute after the ambulance left. Amethyst had insisted upon occupying Peridot, rather than Pearl because she was needed here to clean up. The police were surely going to get involved and they made Amethyst nervous anyway.

          Laughter came out of Pearl. It was strange, surreal as she covered her face with one hand and doubled over before letting the laughter die out and turning rapidly to face the seven people who had slept in the guest rooms overnight.

          “Who did it?”

          As one, they responded, “Marty!”

          The biologist explained while nursing his black eye, “He was mad, and he said he wanted to pull a prank… so me and some of the guys tried to talk him out of it but he wasn’t fazed and said if we didn’t help he’d… break in and do it.”

          “Explains why the building was under lockdown,” Garnet muttered, pushing her sunglasses up her nose to their proper place.

          A dark look passed over Pearl’s face, and Lapis jerked away for a second. It was a subtle action however, and barely noticeable, “Hey… Pearly…”

          “Not now Lapis. I have someone to threaten.”

          Pearl left with a frown and stiff legs.

          Lapis turned to those around, “Get to work. Clean this mess up, and then report to me about how you’re going to fix what Marty did.”

          No one moved.

          “Do I have to go tell Pearl?”

          Everyone scrambled again, finding something to do within seconds. It was obvious they respected Lapis, but it was obvious they respected Pearl’s wrath more. Garnet hummed to herself, wondering what might have happened to inspire such respect for Pearl.

 

          Lapis breathed deeply once they were all working, and Garnet sighed, “What’s with the fear of Pearl?”

          The smaller woman had to tilt her head back to make eye contact, “I wouldn’t call it fear… but,” she grinned, “turns out, Pearl angry is the scariest shit you’ll ever see. Remember how Peri mentioned that explosion that took off her arms?”

          “Yes.”

          “Well a member of the OPS crew hadn’t done his job right, and that’s why it happened. Something about a part not being up to specs and someone hadn’t cared enough to change it out for a good one. I couldn’t tell you, I’m more of a water person,” She paused, and Garnet took a chance to relax her stance and prepare for a longer story. She had a feeling this woman was about to tell her something she’d need to know in the long run.

          Everyone worked diligently around them.

          Lapis continued, “Anyway, there was this explosion and it was a major deal. Our project is supposed to have been 7 years long, but it’s 9 because of that explosion. We couldn’t get much done without Peridot. She’s our best friend, and the three of us have always been together. I mean, in college and beyond. We grew up in different circumstances, for sure, but this project was our big idea to do together. Two years we waited for Peri. All because some idiot messed up.”

          “Well back then, Pearl was a little younger and had a sharper temper. This was more towards the beginning, about four years ago when we were three years into the project, and Pearl was so angry. You should have seen her face. It was the image of pure displeasure. After getting Peri into the hospital, she stayed in a coma for awhile. We weren’t sure she’d survive so we all worked and worked and worked. We did all we could to help out Peri.”

          “Then Pearl found out whose fault it was. God be my witness, She took a sword to them. A fencing sword, with the fencing tip or whatever its called still attached. It was scary.”

          Lapis paused again as an engineer walked in and dropped her breakfast at the sight of the smashed computer module.

          “ANCESTORS DAMN IT! I just fixed that!” The woman threw up her hands, “I swear to my ancestors. This is ridiculous.”

          “Anyway,” Lapis grinned at the woman and continued, “Pearl was yelling about how awful the guy was, how dare he do something like that. How dare he put someone in danger because of his laziness? She was a whirlwind of sword moves and anger… and he just took it. He knew what he had done, and he just took everything she dished out.”

          “Most people would stop at this point. They would go, “Oh hell no, I’m not hitting someone who isn’t defending themselves,” but Pearl was… angry. I’ve never seen her that angry since. She put the guy in the hospital and no one went to jail. It was the longest year of our lives.”

          “But we’re here now,” Lapis Lazuli brightened, filling her small being with happiness, “and Pearl’s going to hunt down Marty. Probably should stop her, but I’m sure we’ll be alright.”

          Garnet couldn’t imagine Pearl being like that, “How long did it take for Pearl to make Peridot’s prosthetics?”

          Lapis hummed and tilted her head, “‘Bout a year, I’d say. She’s pretty devoted to making sure Peri doesn’t suffer. I can agree with that sentiment. Peri deserves more.”

          Garnet let them lapse into silence, before she left to help clean up and organize the central room. Lapis got the people under her together and working on the core problem they were currently facing, which was mostly finishing touches on this 9 year project. 9 years and Garnet joined within the last few months. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

          She wasn’t even sure what the project was about. She just knew it was going to space in a shuttlecraft, and that they’d eventually be touching the surface on mars. But the ultimate goal? Still out of her reach.

          Of course she’d asked around, reaching out to her fellow initiates.

          George laughed at her question, “Don’t worry dude, it’ll happen before we launch. Pearl will tell you everything.”

          Before we launch. What a vague answer.

 


	6. Darker Situations and Hidden Agendas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl threatens someone, Lapis gets a call from someone, and Amethyst takes someone to a bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bonus points to people able to find the Steven Universe song.
> 
> Lars is transgender in my universe btw. I think that is an excellent head-canon and I wanted to roll with it.

          There were many things no one knew about Pearl. People, upon glancing at Pearl, assumed she couldn’t fight, for instance. Having grown up in the foster system, Pearl could fight. Having been saved around 14 by Rose didn’t stop her instinct to fight back, it had just given her time to hone certain skills; skills such as ballet, hand-to-hand combat, and swords-woman-ship. Upon being asked by Lapis why she chose swords, well…

          The answer was right in front of her.

          It was because any human being that threatened her family cowered in the presence of a sword.

          “Hi.” Pearl used a short tone, neither condescending nor eager, but cold and calculated.

          They were standing in Marty’s apartment. It was a filthy thing, dirty dishes scattered about with a stained couch sitting in what Marty probably considered a living room. There was a TV, small with an antenna on top, and various other things one might consider essential to life. The kitchen could be seen from the spot Pearl stood in, and it too was dirty beyond redemption. While disgusting, Pearl wasn’t here to clean. Despite the ache in the back of her mind, the thrumming of her fingers along her sword’s oppositional fold, she did not try to clean. It wasn’t proper to move her fingers in this manner, but she couldn’t take the filth around her.

          The saber suddenly felt heavier in her hand.

          Marty was on his butt in the floor, his palms pressed against the floor and his eyes wide with fear. The black mop of greasy hair he considered appropriate enough for work hung in his eyes, but he still saw Pearl’s fury.

          She stood above him, her grip on her sword relaxed but ready. No smile ghosted across her face, no humor in her eyes, merely cold reality faced him.

          “You hurt someone very dear to me, and now,” Pearl breathed deeply, “I have to rewire her prosthetics. Do you know how painful her life is without those?”

          He quivered, “Um.”

          “How eloquent,” Pearl murmured, squatting in front of him with her sword extended to come near his throat, “I’m not going to kill you, so please don’t piss yourself.”

          Marty swallowed, “Then… what do you want?”

          “Some people say I’m too protective, too quiet. I rarely venture out of my comfort zone. So, if something is important enough for me to take a sword, my sharpest and finest at that, and threaten a man… what do you think brought me here?”

          He swallowed deeply, his eyes shifting rapidly from the sword to Pearl’s face, “Is this about the water? I mean, that was just a prank. A little shock. It’s not going to hurt… anyone…”

          “Dr. Peridot Almaz is in the hospital recovering from a full system shock.”

          “Oh.”

          Pearl hummed, appreciating the shudder that went through his body. It started at his head, traveling down to his toes in slow procession. He realized what was happening.

          “Would you like to know something?”

          He nodded slowly.

          “I’m very protective of my friends, my family, and I,” she paused for a second, “I am quite willing to take this sword…” She emphasized the sabre by pressing it closer to his neck, but not quite touching, “to your dirty, little neck. Do you think anybody would miss you?”

          She stood on the word “you,” flourishing the sword in her hand with a twist, something no sword master would actually do in battle, but it amazed people anyway. Without smiling, she let the sword go back into the sheath she had kept with her, enjoying the feeling of solidarity.

          “What do you mean by that, look, I know we’ve had some problems—“

          She cut him off, “You calling me “It” in front of the previous director is what led to my promotion. I couldn’t care less about what happened between us. I care about Peridot, and I care that you hurt her. Do it again and my sword meets your neck. I think that’s reasonable.”

          Marty stayed silent, watching as Pearl turned on her heel and left the drab apartment. It was several minutes later when he looked down at his lap to see something he was deeply ashamed of, besides the small pool of what wasn’t water gathering under his pants.

          Pearl had stayed, listening to the door with a small grin until she heard, “Shit!” come out of Marty’s mouth. Satisfied, she headed to the hospital.

          

* * *

 

          Lapis was working with her fellow oceanographer, a small man was only slightly taller than she, when Amethyst bowled right in and sat on top of their paperwork. Literally bowled, literally sat, and Lapis could not have been more confused. Amethyst paused and shook her head, taking in the surroundings and then making a face of disgust.

          While enjoying rocks, she hated the ocean. Lapis believed the last time they’d spoken had lead to this idea, seeing as vampire octopi had frightened Amethyst.

          “Yo, hey Larry!” Amethyst waved to him, “Binder’s lookin’ good! No ace bandages right?”

          “Of course not, used the website you gave me and I found one that really works,” He grinned at Amethyst, “Thanks, again, I just –“

          Amethyst placed her hand over his mouth, “Ya get sappy, I give no more advice. Hey, wanna go to a bar? I’ll buy the drinks. Got someone I want ya to meet.”

          Larry paused, glancing at Lapis with a little apprehension, “Well…”

          She shook her head at Amethyst, who always managed to wear purple somehow, and then at Larry, who always managed to wear a donut shirt somehow, and then sighed, “Fine, I’ll finish up the proposal with Garnet, go get your jollies off with Amethyst.”

          She could have sworn his grin split his face in two, but he just hopped along behind the small bundle of energy that was their geologist. They only had one, and she worked hard when they needed her too, but Pearl had said after graduation… after the dissertation… but Amethyst hadn’t yet gone through the procedure and Lapis was concerned.

          Lapis was more concerned about Peridot. Amethyst had come back an hour ago, less than six hours after leaving, and the hospital had called. Apparently, Lapis and Pearl were emergency contacts and another woman named Jaspar was to be informed, as she was kin. It wasn’t a good message, Peridot would need time to recover and time to relax. Electricity wasn’t good on the body.

          The plans before were interesting, probably would work properly given the opportunity to flourish. There was just a small chance of -- Her phone rang out with a petrifying banshee scream, reserved for… “Hi, this is Dr. Lazuli.”

          “Lazuli,” the voice of Dr. (Gul) Vanskelig slid mellifluous out of the receiver, her voice deep and dangerous, “Good to hear your voice. You haven’t checked in… for quite a while. Thought I would ask how you and Pearly were doing. I heard about my favorite computer technician and Little Pearly is so easily distracted. Yet, she always manages to be on time. Will you be at the launch site when it is appropriate?”

          “Well, actually, it’s going to be more like five months…” Lapis shivered when Dr. Vanskelig took a deep breath, “But, we will launch on time. We promise. Peridot and Pearl are working with the engineers to make sure that the pieces of the craft go together better than before and are easier to construct. Lighter, faster, and better. We promise.”

          It was quite possible to hear a smile in the woman’s voice, “Oh good, I was so worried when I heard the number five. Launch in one year yes?”

          Lapis imagined the woman had teeth like a shark, her smile wide and sharp, “Yes. Launch in one year.”

          “Good,” The Dr. paused, not hesitant but with purpose to distract, to cause worry, “My precious Lapis Lazuli, you fled into the bottom of the sea. Only to come back, and work for me. Must be disappointing, I hope Pearly doesn’t find out you talk to me behind her back. She is the director you know. You wanted to leave this place and head out to space, if Pearly knew she’d call you a criminal. Peri would say your friendship comes through subliminal, and I shall be left to pick up the pieces. In short, my message couldn’t be clearer: Don’t disappoint.”

          The dial tone rung through the phone.

          Lapis grimaced, and then she threw her phone as hard as she could against the table and screamed. She wasn’t one of the sorts that cried, but she came very close in this moment. Instead, she hung her head and pulled inward, fighting the instinct to smash her phone further. Her papers ended up in the floor, despite her effort against throwing things.

          She left, making her way to Pearl’s office, waving at those who said hello. There was no smiling in this moment, the walk taking all of her effort. Focus and imagine what needed to be done. There were numbers to be calculated, things to be built, and paperwork to find. Pearl would have the latest reports on her desk.

          The halls were plated with steel, most likely due to the ex-factory component of their little workshop, and each step dinged in the space. Lapis didn’t wear heels, she wore combat boots with lace stockings and she enjoyed every step she took. Sometimes, she would purposefully make her stride smaller, to lengthen her time walking. Today, however, was not one of those days. Each stride became longer, the destination coming closer with a brisk pace.

          Pearl’s office had the door open. Lapis sighed with relief, picking the lock always managed to make Pearl disappointed in her. Pearl would prefer to be the one getting in trouble for messing with illegal activities.

          The office was neat, as Pearl’s things usually were, with the papers stacked on her desk where they should be. Lapis began to sort through them, looking for yesterday’s update. A small photograph sat in its black frame, only getting bumped when she overreached and accidentally fell onto the desk. She stopped her search, slightly panicked. It was the only photo Pearl kept on her desk, and there was no way she would allow it to be broken.

          Picking it up, Lapis gently turned it over and examined the photo. It was Pearl’s favorite photo, the only one she truly appreciated of their time together in college.  They had just graduated and were still in their robes (the robes were unzipped and haphazardly thrown open with the hats managing to stay on their heads by just a few hairs). Pearl was laughing on one side, her right arm slung around Peridot’s shoulders. Lapis stood on the other, her left arm wrapped around Peridot’s waist, grinning and holding up her diploma in the other hand. Peridot was blushing, but also smiling, holding up her diploma with her teeth as she wrapped her arms around both Pearl and Lapis. One arm was around Lapis’s shoulders and the other one was around Pearl’s waist; this was back when her arms were still flesh colored, and those pink fingers were obviously digging in to keep herself standing under the weight of her two friends.

          Pearl was waving her diploma in her free hand, leaning heavily on Peridot. They all looked so happy, happy and carefree. If only her friends could tell what was going on in her head now. Taking a deep breath, Lapis shuddered and sank to the floor, her head hanging low.

          “Please, don’t leave me.”

          She hugged the picture to her chest.

* * *

 

          Amethyst had taken Larry to a bar. Which, in itself, wasn’t that unusual since Amethyst regularly dragged Garnet to these kinds of places. However, it was called The Fry Bar, which was unusual.

          “Amy,” Larry’s affectionate name rolled off the tongue before he could stop himself, “What kind of place is this?”

          She rolled her eyes, clutching his hand and winking, “Go in, _Lars_ , and find out.”

          “Wait, aren’t you coming with me?”

          “In a bit, have fun.”

          She shoved him unceremoniously towards the bar, and then skipped to pull another friend out of a waiting taxi.

          “Amethyst! I know we hung out back in Chicago, but I’m single and not ready to mingle.”

          The woman stepped out, wearing cargo shorts and a Captain America shirt. She was the same height as Amethyst, her hair blond was shoulder length. Amethyst grinned, “Sadie! I have someone I want you to meet.”

          Amethyst dragged her friend, who wasn’t really fighting (just making it harder and Amethyst knew it), to the bar with a grin. It wasn’t hard to imagine what Amethyst had in mind, the last time Sadie had been dragged into a bar she had been 15, using a fake I.D., and bored out of her mind.

          Chicago wasn’t the place to grow up on the streets.

          “Sadie.” Amethyst stopped, turning to take Sadie by the shoulders, her eyes flashing with mischief, “Come on. Trust me. It’ll be fun!”

          A sigh escaped Sadie, who just hung her head and laughed, “Promise nothing bad is gunna happen?”

**_“Promise.”_**


	7. Bars and Racing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst's trip to the bar with Larry

The bar sits in the middle of the nearby town, nestled as a hole in the wall between the massive department stores on either side. It is small, at the end of an alleyway and just off a highway, just large enough to fit 30 people on a good night.

Amethyst is a regular, and as such, takes her friend in the back way where a free drink is offered and Lars won’t see the surprise she has in store. Rather than knocking on the door at the end of the alley, the two slip between the crack between bricks leading to behind the department store and, consequently, the bar itself. It’s a road, cracked and broken from being forgotten, and silence fills the air. The sun is setting, the buildings on the other side are blocking anyone from seeing, and a race has started.

Drag racing is at its finest when the police have a team.

“Amethyst, I thought we were going into the bar,” Sadie cowers behind her friend, not because she is truly afraid, but to show Amethyst she dislikes where they are heading.

“We are! Not to worry, Dr. Feelgood over there is the race monitor. Everything’s pretty pro, they’re not the kind to hit walkers,” Amethyst chatters away, telling Sadie about the race she won and the time Garnet had caught her at the finish line with a look of death. She then tells Sadie about the time the bar wouldn’t let her in because she’d lost a bet to the owner and had finals the next day. The owner really looked out for her.

The back entrance is covered in black velvet, something that masks it at night and makes it obvious by day, and the racers zoom fast enough to blow it up and reveal the metal door beneath.

Amethyst knocks.

A voice is heard. “I haven’t heard someone knock back here since…” A kid opens the door, blond with dreads and a dark complexion; he smiles, “Oh hello Amethyst. How are you today? I’m just working the bar while my dad and brother are out. Want a drink?”

She snorts, “‘Course I want a drink! Come on Peedee, you know me.”

He opens the door wider, ushering them in with only a glance at Sadie. The nightfall brings in the cold, and he closes the door as fast as he can without hitting either of his guests, “Ronaldo said he hasn’t seen you since Garnet’s dissertation, which is a long time for you to be missing, you okay?”

Amethyst waves a hand, which is hardly seen in the dim light of the backroom. It’s a break room of sorts, with a TV and DVD player sitting on a table, with a couple chairs thrown about. The freezer is attached to this room, and so is the main bar, so Sadie assumes this is the only backroom to be found.

“Nah, just been busy. Got a job so I can pay for my booze now… once I finish training or something.”

Peedee grins, “Dad’ll be happy to hear about that. He was about to tell people to stop buying you drinks. Though I doubt they’d listen.” He raises a curtain that more than likely leads to the bar and disappears for a few seconds before coming back with a couple of shot glasses and a vague bottle. “Your favorite, but I can’t just give you the bottle. Dad’s orders. So I can give you and your friend a shot each, before you have to go get someone to pay. Deal?”

Amethyst bounces happily and drags Sadie over to the table, grabbing chairs and seating everyone while doing so, “You got it Peedee, oh man I haven’t had a shot of my favorite in forever.”

“I’m not drinking fire whiskey!” Sadie protests weakly, waving her hands as Amethyst grins and winks at her, “I’m serious.”

“Then I’ll have your shot,” Amethyst waggles her brow, something Sadie has never seen anyone else do right, “And I’ll get drunk twice as fast.”

While they have a discussion over whether Sadie is having a shot, Peedee pours two glasses and sets them on the table before disappearing again.

“NO! I’m not going to have to drive you home. Not after last time, that was horrible. I almost got pulled over. I’ll take the shot.”

Sadie regrets that decision a minute later when both glasses are empty and Amethyst is excited to the point of being irritating. She’s dragged, again, into the main bar where people are laughing and drinking. Her throat is burning, her eyes watering, and she hears Bohemian Rhapsody come on over the speakers.

“What kind of bar plays ancient music?” She mutters, trying to calculate just how old the classic is. Her mind is growing foggy however, and she soon gives up. She’s not much of a drinker.

The whole bar is singing.

Amethyst is singing.

It feels like she’s gone backward in time so she sits at the bar, people watching and sipping the beer Peedee has given her with a sympathetic glance.

He whispers to her, “I realize Amethyst dragged you here, so if you want to stay in the back until she’s passed out, I won’t stop you.”

She’s half tempted to take that offer.

“How old are you?” She leans in the next time he comes around, her eyes squinting to see if maybe he’d look older when she’s not seeing all of him.

“18, I’m the youngest in the family business. Dad said that as long as cops don’t think I’m drinking, they won’t bust him. And seeing as we’re family friends of the cops…” He shrugs, giving her a shy  smile, “We don’t tell on them for drag racing, they don’t tell on us for letting me serve. I’m the best bartender in the family anyway.”

Sadie listens, truly fascinated by the dynamics she’s discovering involving the cops and the citizens of the town, “So what about the drag racing? How did that come about?”

Peedee waves over a man, he’s thinner, but taller and older with a grimace rather than a smile, “Hey, Mr. Pizza, mind working the bar for a bit? Customer is a little homesick.”

The man looks Sadie up and down, examining without sexualizing, and then nods, “I understand how you feel, I can’t wait to visit Ghana again.”

He leaves and Peedee grins, “Sorry for lying, but he doesn’t like serving drinks and my stories a little long.”

Sadie doesn’t really mind.

 

Amethyst jumps on top of Lars when she see’s him. He’d taken the seat in the back, where the windows don’t let light in and people can escape from sight. Where people don’t look close to see if you fit your name.

“Larssss,” She maintains the s for a few seconds, waiting until he shouts at her to stop before giggling, “You gotta meet someone, come here.”  
She drags him across the bar, listening to his whining about how he doesn’t want to drink and how he doesn’t really want to mingle. He’s a little bit of an introvert, but he enjoys people and wants to be cool. She’s just trying to get him to open up, be something more. He could be so much more, but he’s just a kid with a shriveled heart who’s been beaten too much.

Amethyst feels her smile slip at this thought, but she covers it quickly. Fake smiles are her thing after all, it’s easy to express happiness when you’re surrounded by friends. Lars has a sweaty hand, slipping slowly out of hers, and she grabs on tighter and shoves through the groups of just turned 21 undergraduates. The one’s who have actually been drinking for years but live on a dry campus. They’re finally able to drink legally, so why not actually go to a bar rather than a frat where there are more sweaty guys than girls, and rape is threat.

The women always prefer The Fry Bar over a frat any day, and no one can blame them.

Amethyst finds Sadie at the counter, laughing and talking with Peedee. He’s leaning over the bar, one hand trapped beneath him and the other waving about as if he’s telling a story. She’s leaning close, a crazy straw in what appears to be a sunset. The only surprising thing is that Peedee isn’t watching the bar, the guy who sells pizza down the street has taken over and is serving without a smile and silence.

“Hey! Sadie!” She interrupts, not particularly caring what they were talking about, “Meets Lars. He likes donuts and Borderlands. Go wild.”

She shoves them together, watching them topple into the floor, Lars on top of Sadie, before pulling Peedee away. They can sort it out themselves, but she’s about to sort Peedee out first.

“She’s off limits. And you’re 18. She’s 24. Not happening.” Amethyst is blatant, chopping her hand down every couple words to emphasize the ones that matter.

Peedee holds his hands up while she’s bringing his head down by the ear, “Ame, I’m not about to hit on one of your friends. Learned that when Kiki came around and Mr. Pizza came at me.”

Amethyst releases him, grumbling under her breathe, “Sure sounded like you two were gettin’ chummy over there, and while she’s more your style with the maturity factor, I don’t want … I don’t want her to get hurt. You know?”

He hugs her, “Don’t worry about it, I’m not going to hurt anyone. You know me.”

Her eyes scan him, from his black shoes (probably leather, he can afford it since he works two jobs), to his hair. The tank-top, the cargo pants, all a part of his style. He was dependable, efficient, kind. Amethyst had always trusted him.

“Yeah, yeah. I know ya.”

He pats her on the shoulder, “I’m going to go serve drinks, give Mr. Pizza a break.”

They both paused, watching each other like cornered cats, “Yeah, I’ll talk to you later Peedee. Don’t worry, I’m not getting smashed tonight. Gotta be able to drive. Um… keep Sadie from getting too drunk? Tipsey is fine, but she’s a little bit of a light weight and I don’t want her never coming back. Not fair to her ya know.”

He nods, just once, with a small smile, then heads to work.

 

She spends the rest of her night watching the two people she’s hoping will hit it off. Good friends of hers, good friends that always remind her of two halves of a couple. Like Garnet’s parents used to be before… well yeah.

She misses them, but not as much as Garnet does.

Lars passes out around one in the morning, Amethyst takes him to a corner and sits with his worn out body. Sadie is sitting at the counter still, another conversation is going between her and Peedee. The bar’s bustling, Mr. Pizza is getting swamped, and Peedee (dependable, efficient, kind Peedee) is chatting off Sadie’s ear. Amethyst trusts him, and Sadie does need more friends.

So she doesn’t interfere and turns away to answer the cellphone that’s been vibrating in her pocket.

“Amethyst?” While expecting Garnet, she heard a delightful scientist’s voice in her ear.

“Oh hey Pearl,” Amethyst feels her palms getting clammy, her body going cold as she realizes Lars probably has to be at work in the morning.

“Oh it is Amethyst! I wanted to let everyone whose numbers I have know about Peridot. She’s fine, apparently the electricity missed her heart and really just ended up frying her electronical parts. I’m working the backups I had in storage so she’ll be up and working in less than three weeks. Hospital isn’t willing to release for at least one week, keep an eye on nerve damage. Run tests. The works.”

Amethyst nods, but she knows Pearl can’t see that, “Alright, how’d you get my number?”

“Garnet, sorry. I hope you don’t mind, but I figured that… since you’re apart of the team… you’d want to know.”

Amethyst grins, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and responding, “Yeah, thank you. Thanks. Um… why are you up it’s like,” She checks the time on her phone, “Wow, it’s 2 in the morning.”

“Peridot’s arms and legs are the most important thing right now. I need to make sure they’re ready for when she exits the hospital. I can’t sleep.” She sounds tired. Exhausted, beaten and broken a little. What would Amethyst have done if that had been Garnet?

She shivers, “You and Peridot are close huh?”

“About as close as… You and Garnet if I understand your relationship.”

“You guys childhood friends?” Lars is snoring beside her, Sadie is laughing loud enough she can hear it over the singing. If they ever put in a karaoke machine, no one would ever be able to hear.

“Well, Lapis and Peridot are. I joined them in college… you don’t get a lot of people wanting to be your friend when you’re 17 and smart enough that you can blow past most math classes.” She sounds sad almost, like she’s reminiscing.

“Tell me about it?” Amethyst bites her lip, thinking and contemplating. What if Garnet had told Pearl about her? She probably had, so why not… why not know about Pearl. She was smart (obviously), talented, and kind. Like Peedee.

“You want to hear about my college years? They aren’t nearly as exciting as anything you’ve seen in the movies, or probably experienced yourself. More just… studying and such.” She’s willing, hesitant, but willing. Friendly.

Amethyst wouldn’t mind having another friend like Garnet… and Pearl is willing, “Nah, I mean you’re friendship. Tell me how it happened.”

“Well it started when we had this freshman seminar together. Amherst is a liberal arts college, so the only required class is this class, and we’re the youngest people in the class. All got in a year early. Not really that early, but it’s early for college…”

Amethyst listens, intrigued and excited. Yet, as time goes on, and she tells the story of three kids getting in a year early and two of them being roommates, she gets tired. Yawns overcome her, and Pearl hears in the middle of telling her when she blew up the science lab and Lapis had been the one to come running and help.

“You tired?”

“Yeah, babysitting Larry --”

“Why are you babysitting Larry?” Pearl is curious, her voice giving away her rapt attention.

“He and I met before I knew he worked for ya, so when I found out I took pity and tried to get ‘em a girl. He’s pretty hetero, so I knew it had to be a woman. And he’s into women who are pretty short, so I knew a friend of mine was just the girl he had to meet. Especially considering they ramble about similar things.” And now she’s rambling, and there’s a really cute girl not interrupting just listening, and she’s unsure how long to keep rambling, “I mean, who else would I find that loves donuts, Borderlands, and Nicholas Flamel enough that they can give forty minutes speeches on each individual topic?”

“Larry does like those things, and he does wear donut shirts a lot.” Pearl replies, thoughtful, “I should buy him a donut tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I need him to help me with water without Lapis knowing… I don’t want her knowing. She’s very hard to surprise.”

Amethyst giggles, “Yeah, he’ll do it. I’ll convince him if ya need it.”

“Thanks Amethyst!” Pearl sounds happy, excited even. Then, Amethyst hears her yawn.

“Ya better get some sleep. What if you’re too exhausted and mess up on ‘er arms?”

She hears a sharp breath, a mumbling of sorts.

“Yes, you’re right. Amethyst?”

“Yeah?”

“Goodnight,” She hears a hesitance in Pearl’s words, “If you want, I could tell you more about college another day? If you tell me about yours?”

“Yes,” Amethyst responds immediately, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

The conversation ends with Amethyst smiling at her phone, Lars snoring in her ear, and Peedee waving at her from across the bar. Overall, not a bad night...

Shit. Shit. Amethyst looks at the time, looks at the bar, and then sighs before quickly picking Lars up and holding him in an upright position so it looks like he's walking (she's not about to carry him over her shoulder, but she's not about to go bridal style either). They head to the bathroom. She'd forgotten about the binder, and while he most likely hadn't, she'd gotten him drunk enough that he'd passed out. Ergo, they had a problem. Good thing there was only one bathroom, or else she might have had to deal with some screeching woman complaining about how this was inappropriate. 

He was going to kill her in the morning.


	8. Business is Business and The Lab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the accident, things have died down and work has to get done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't actually know how long this entire fic is going to be. I'm used to writing shorter ones, but I want to explore gender, sexuality, and their human personalities more.
> 
> I want to be able to follow Pearl's mission to its conclusion, and I want you guys to learn about the good Dr. who has a Danish name. I can't spell that without looking up the spelling every time it appears in the fic btw. Thought you'd enjoy that tidbit. 
> 
> Anyway, I will write this fic to completion, I promised myself that since I have a whole summer ahead of me. I thought I'd just warn you I have no idea how long this will end up being. 30 Chapters? Maybe? who knows.

 

          Amethyst got home around four in the morning, having taken Lars inside to his apartment, and her dorm room felt cold. Rather than expand to take over Garnet’s side of the room, she left it empty. The difference was stark, clean white walls that had holes spackled over and white bed sheets. It was discomforting.

          She began to take her minerals off the wall, slowly putting them into a box that had sat empty for about a week now. She was exhausted. Yet, the walls laughed at her, deterred her from lying down. Color on one wall and white on the other, the contrast messed with her sleep-deprived mind. There was no chance of sleep until the contrast was evened out.

          

* * *

 

          Garnet noticed things happening around her, only a day after the water incident, and things were strange. Amethyst had dragged someone that wasn’t her off to a bar, poor soul, and Lapis had confined herself to work. Despite Lapis’s usual excitable nature when it came to anything water, she was quiet today. Withdrawn to the point that she didn’t even smile when the equations she was working on finally did something right.

          She just kept working.

          Pearl was doing the same thing. Garnet wasn’t sure how much sleep Pearl had last night either, just that she had bags under her eyes and completely constructed prosthetics with all the new bits and gears that could possibly exist in the modern world. They were sleek, perfectly molded to look like arms and legs. Had Pearl wished it, she could cover them in a polymer or some sort of rubber that would give the look and feel of actual skin. Garnet had to wonder why she didn’t.

          Today wasn’t the day to be worrying about her two superiors. Despite the idea that she should care, should ask, floating around in the back of her mind, she had work to do. Work that, with the help of Buck, a young intern whose Dad was the mayor, she might get done by the end of the day.

          His lab was in Pearl’s division. When he wasn’t getting lunch for his friends at the local café, he was working in the lab with Pearl. Garnet had actually not had much interaction with him, but she appreciated the few times she had. He didn’t really talk much, and she always appreciated quiet encounters.

          “Hey G-net,” He waved at her as she stepped into the lab, it wasn’t white like the other labs. After a few explosions, and Pearl giggling like a mad scientist, the whole room was tinted pink. At least that’s the way Peridot had described it, “Got your equations right here. Yo, mind if I take the rest of the day off? After the incident yesterday, Dad was a little jumpy about letting me come into work today.”

          Garnet looked up from the clipboard he’s handed her, “Pearl not around?”

          “Yeah, but she’s working on those prosthetics. I’m not gunna mess with her while she’s making those,” He took off his lab-coat and hung it on a hanger, “I know how she’s feeling ya know? I would hate it if something like that happened to my dad. I mean, he can be a jerk, but that coulda killed someone. I figure Pearl’s gotta get through it on her own.”

          She eyed him, nodding in appreciation of the sentiment, “I don’t think she would mind.”

          He nods, thanking her with a smile before trading out his goggles for shades and leaving. Underneath the lab-coat, the only one tinted as pink as the walls, he’s wearing jeans and casual clothing. Pearl would have been shaking her head if she had seen him.

          Garnet gets to work, double-checking the calculations the young scientist had done. He was 22, just having received his bachelors, and his style impressed Garnet, but there were simple mistakes that anyone could make in his calculations. All because of a factor in gravity that few remembered to take into consideration. She’d have to remind him tomorrow.

          She pressed forward, filling out paperwork and watching the time tick by on the labs clock. It was a menial day, and the entire concept of paperwork on a computer didn’t make much sense, but it was important to keep things flowing and ordered. Anything could be lost amidst space work.

          

          Pearl’s asleep on top of the prosthetics when Garnet comes to turn in her work. Rather than disturb her, Garnet places down her work on the corner of the desk and begins to gently pull the limbs from beneath Pearl’s face. The legs were removed easily, as Pearl’s face was not actually glued to those limbs. They were just besides her head, rather than underneath. However, her cheek was firmly pressed against the left arm with the right one tucked beneath her chin.

          To extract those, she’d need incredible luck.

          Or she could get Lapis to wake up a grumpy Pearl that was likely to tear off a few heads for letting her fall asleep. Lapis was not in the mood to deal with a grouchy Pearl…

          Garnet gently lifts Pearl’s head, wincing internally when the skin pulls away slowly and in a way that Pearl will probably feel the pain when she wakes up. Pearl must be exhausted however, because Garnet slides out the prosthetics without so much as stirring the tiny person.

          She places them leaning against the wall, carefully so as to not damage them. She glances at the blanket Pearl sleeps with and quickly grabs it to put it over Pearl’s slumping shoulder, gently tucking in the corners so it doesn’t slide down. At least Pearl wouldn’t be cold when she woke up.

          Just as Garnet is about to leave, something catches her attention. It’s the prosthetics and their eerie green coloring. They’re different from the old ones… prettier. The parts inside are white, and the green is more vibrant than before, while also being more translucent. On the previous ones, the green had been solid. Dull almost, probably from age, but these were shiny and new. Garnet was impressed by how much the inside looked like actual bone structures.

          “Garnet?”

          She slowly turned to see Lapis looking at her, slightly confused but still her unusual self. Except…

          “Something wrong?”

          She smiled, and if Garnet hadn’t known better she would say that Lapis had sharpened teeth, “Nothing at all, I was just wondering what you were doing in Pearl’s office… while she’s asleep. We generally leave her alone.”

          Both were being quiet, but both also knew that Pearl was most likely going to stay passed out for a few hours, “Dropping off work.”

          It wouldn’t have been suspicious if Lapis’s eyes hadn’t darted to Pearl before she focused again on Garnet. It would definitely have been overlooked if Lapis hadn’t been gripping the transparent computer screen hard enough that it might crack. These things tell Garnet something is wrong, more likely just with Lapis rather than her work. They haven’t known each other long, but it has been long enough that Garnet knew the difference between mischievous-good-day-Lapis, and the being that seemed to quake in front of her now.

           A moment of silence is exchanged, eye meeting just for a second before Lapis comes in the room and sets the computer down on the desk. It sits on top of Garnet’s work, and little waves scroll across the screen as a screen saver.

          Lapis licks her lips, flashing a smile that doesn’t last at Garnet, before she turns to leave.

          Her phone goes off. It’s a caterwaul of sounds, filling the room and waking Pearl with how loud it reverberates off the walls.

          “What in the…” They both watch as Lapis scrambles to answer.

          Pearl mouths a question at Garnet, absentmindedly rubbing the cheek with a red splotch on it, Garnet shrugs in response. She can’t read lips.

          “H-Hello, this is Dr. Lapis Lazuli.” Lapis holds the phone in her left hand, while her right grips at her elbow.

          A few seconds of silence descends, “No, nothing has changed on our end. It’s only been a day.”

          She begins to walk out, glancing at Garnet and Pearl in the background. Both confused, both interested. Pearl more so than Garnet, she thought they had no secrets.

          The last thing they hear before Lapis is out of earshot seems to shake Pearl visibly, “I assure you Peridot’s injury will not be a further set back. I don’t know where you got this information.”

          “Who is she talking to?” Garnet asks aloud, more curious than anything else.

          Pearl shrugs and sighs, “I don’t know, but they’re asking for a mission update. So they have to be someone important. Could be Blue, she always like to mess with people.”

          Garnet looks at Pearl and folds her arms across her chest.

          “Oh sorry!” Pearl blushes, realizing her mistake, “Blue’s our contact at old world NASA, but new world GSA. The Global Space Agency is our contractor, and she’s the one we talk to if we need more money or we hire someone new. I had to call her to confirm your instatement and Marty being fired. They double-check to make sure no discrimination happened. It’s a thing in the science world.”

          Garnet raises an eyebrow, “Discrimination?”

          “Well yeah,” Pearl grins, “I’m not the director because I’m good with space. I’m the director because I have a broad range of contact with multiple creeds of people. They only want harmony among the work force, and I bring that into wherever I work through understanding and empathy.”

          Pearl is beaming, but she is also tired. Her eyes have bags beneath them that are clearly visible. She sighs shortly after her speech, rubbing at her eyelids, “No one ever told me harmony was this tough though. I can do this,” She waves her hand at the pile of work on her desk.

          “But people are vicious, and tend to not get along in the first place. I’m having a hard time staying up to standards. I mean, Peridot’s people are always complaining about how engineers think they know everything about computers and the engineers complain about how “water hippies”” Pearl makes quotes with her slender fingers and grimaces, “and “earth psychos” are trying to tell them how to science. Then you have Lapis’s people avoiding computers and sticking to pencil-paper methods that are not easily shared. It’s a disaster, and I’m the one that has to keep it flowing. Not to mention that my people generally stick to themselves and really need to intermingle more. It’s just very tiring. I sometimes wish I hadn’t taken the director job. Rose was so good at it, she has always been great with people too… I miss her. She was so… good at this job,” Pearl’s speech slows, her eyes beginning to glaze over, “She didn’t even want the job until she found out I was going to be here. Then when they promoted the both of us, she was so disappointed. Maybe I should have turned down the promotion. Maybe we both would have been happier…”

          Garnet listens, only mildly surprised at the different divisions not getting along (you divide people into commonalities and they form tribes, it was common sense) waiting until Pearl was finished before offering a piece of advice, “I don’t know about you being a bad director. You’re just stretched out, let Peridot and Lapis help. You don’t have all the people so all the complaints shouldn’t be given to you. You divide up the work load, why not the harmony?”

          Pearl is looking at her like she’s sprouted a second head, but she’s smiling. Slowly, her eyes light up and Garnet realizes that Pearl knows exactly what to do, “You’re right. I know just the thing… except maybe I couldn’t do that to Peridot and Lapis. But… I do know someone who is more than willing to help. I think I’ll call them first. Thank you Garnet!”

          Then Pearl’s on the phone, bouncing up and down in her seat like a child. She’s excited, her cheeks are flushed, and Garnet walks out to give her time to herself.

          “Wait, Garnet!” Pearl calls, her phone pressed against her shoulder to block out her voice.

          Garnet turns and waits, watching as Pearl bites her lip and seems to inwardly shrug.

           “Have you seen Larry around?” Her fingers tap slightly on the desk, “I know he went out last night but I still expected to see him at work.”

          “You expected him to be at work when he went out to drink with Amethyst?”

          “Well he didn’t call in, and while being almost as lazy as Lapis around everything not ocean, he doesn’t just not come in. It’s quite uncharacteristic of the young man. Would you check with Lapis to see where he is? I need him to see me as soon as possible.” Her tone turns to business on the word “young,” switching so easily and casually that Garnet wonders if she wasn’t made for this sort of thing.

          “Alright, I’ll see you when I have Larry then.”

          Pearl grins, her business conduct melting away, “Thank you Garnet!”

 

          When Garnet finds Lapis, she is still on the phone. Her conversation is mostly quiet; a few shouted words could be heard...

 

          “I assure you Peridot’s injury will not be a further set back. I don’t know where you got this information,” Lapis is mentally worried, Pearl had heard. She might pass it off as Blue, but she wouldn’t forget a single word that came out during the parts of the conversation she could hear. She would ask Blue about it.

          Blue hadn’t even heard of Peridot’s injury yet.

          “Really? Then why does this report say that a whole month has been added to that year deadline? Signed and dated by lovely Pearl.” It was Dr. (Gul) Vanskelig. Her voice carried a deadly tone, sharper than Lapis could ever recall, “In fact, this is dated from an hour before you even talked to me. Are you trying to hide something Lapis? You know I need the exact time of little Pearly’s launch, correct? You promised, and I supplied what you asked for. Are you trying to change our contract?”

          Lapis shudders, “No ma’am, not at all. I didn’t know about the paperwork. I –“

          She’s cut off, by a laugh, “Of course you didn’t, other wise I wouldn’t be having this conversation. I understand Dr. Lazuli. I really do.” A second passes, the voice takes a darker quality, “However, business is business. I had to get this little piece of paper from my man in Blue’s office. Fail me again like this and I might have to start initiating those lovely, little, fine print procedures. I’m sure you know the ones I’m talking about, you did read the contract right?”

          Lapis gulps, trying not to let the woman on the phone hear her, “Yes Dr. Vanskelig. I did.”

          “Good. So I don’t have to explain what happens?”

          “No, you don’t.”

          She can hear the smile, the mockery on the other end of the phone, “Poor Dr. Lazuli. Just got her second P.H.D., and she thinks I’m the evil one. Let me tell you, my dear, someone has been itching to see you again. I’m sure Peridot would understand –“        

          “NO, please,” Lapis nearly shouts, and when she realizes what she’s done, she is incredibly frightened, “Please.”

          “Get to work.”

          Then she hears the emptiness that is left when someone hangs up and leaves a smirk as their final message.

 

          Garnet hears a few words, just as the conversation ends, and Lapis turns to see her. Tears are in the corner of her eyes. Before Garnet can reach out and ask what’s wrong, Lapis has a smile on her face and had hidden the tears away.

          “Can I do something for you Garnet?”

          She pauses, watching the small, blue person that is in charge of all things natural. When nothing happens, and she begins to look confused, Garnet continues, “I need to find Larry, Pearl needs him for something.”

          Lapis purses her lips, “I believe he stayed home. I’ll go check.”

* * *

  
          Peridot wakes up surrounded by white.


	9. Hospital Blues and Vidalia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot wakes up surrounded by white, and Pearl has a gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When thinking about the characterization, I had to be careful with this scene. Pearl is exhausted, and Peridot is completely out of her comfort zone. If you think it's a little out of character, please keep that in mind before ripping the chapter apart. 
> 
> Plus, this is an AU where they grew up together, at least in a way, and their interactions are going to be more intimate than if they just became friends. 
> 
> I think I managed a balance between Peridot's faith and her reactions upon waking up. I'm working on it.

Peridot woke up surrounded by white. Panic began to ebb into her conscious, rising in waves as she felt the fear of waking up in a foreign environment attack her. She fell back on her faith, she was alright. Allah was there with her, and she was going to be fine. Although, it would really be nice to see Pearl or Lapis also in the room.

She saw no one. The room was empty, the curtains drawn to give her privacy. It was a hospital room, but her bed was alone and the window was cracked to allow in fresh air. A taste of copper consumed her senses, and she took a second to assess her body.

Perfectly fine from what she could tell, but she didn’t have her prosthetics on. Her limbs twinged with the memory of the shock, and her tongue had a nice cut from how hard she’d bitten it during the incident. Wait…

Her clothes had been removed, as she was wearing a hospital gown. It hadn’t been done by a male had it? Surely her friends wouldn’t let that happen. She clicked the button that would call the nurse into the room. It had been set beside her arm, near the end of the residual limb. It was kind of them, but she felt a vague sense of dis-ease with having to have the treatment.

Did Pearl inform the doctor of the medication she was already on? More thoughts flooded in, each tickling the back of her mind with their important. Who, what, when, where, and why all shoving themselves to the forefront. Each demanded answers, but she needed to calm down. Breathe. She pressed the button once more. Satisfied her answers would be coming, she relaxed. There was nothing to do until she knew what had happened.

Was she wearing her hijab? Before she could process what the other clothes were on her body, the door opened.

A person came in, with a bright smile and a clipboard in their hands, “Dr. Almaz! It’s so good to see you awake. To be honest, we were worried that the shock would keep you out for a lot longer. Most electrocutions don’t really keep patients out long, but your prosthetics allowed a much greater shock than usual.”

She nodded, watching the woman gracefully reach over and set the clipboard on the bed before taking out a stethoscope and pressing it against her chest, “You’re my doctor, not my nurse. Am I correct?”

“We were told by your friends, and eventually your kin that decided they must call every hour on the hour, about your religious needs. It was my day off but…” The woman made eye contact with Peridot while also sighing,  “I understand the discrimination that happens and I didn’t want you to experience that. You’re currently wearing a hospital gown with a closed back, and a hijab. You need not worry, I have followed every suggested treatment. You have very good friends.”

Peridot smiled, “Yes I do.” Then her smile faded and she looked around her, wondering where her friends might be. She didn’t expect her family to be, they were hooligans anyway and she would be horrified to find them in a hospital visiting room. No, she didn’t wish that on any hospital staff.

The doctor noticed her pull inward.

“My names Maheswaran. Dr. Maheswaran, to be exact. I have an actual medical degree.” It sounded hostile, almost, but the way the doctor’s eyes glinted, Peridot took it to be a joke.

“I don’t have any degrees, Pearl and Lapis just feel I deserve the title. Those whose don't quite know me generally get the "she's a doctor" introduction.” She wasn’t particularly in the mood for jokes, but this doctor was nice and she almost felt bad about saying that. She bit her lip directly afterwards.

The doctor laughed, “I know, a small being that some considered to be human, named Amethyst if you’re curious, was practically bouncing all over the place to tell the nurses all about you. If the nurses weren’t assigned rooms, I think they might have fought over who got to actually be your nurse. She made you sound so interesting. And the prosthetics that got ruined? They were gorgeous pieces of work. I’ll have to talk to that Pearl of yours. Maybe she’d like to work for the hospital.”

The air is lighter now, and Peridot feels better breathing in than she did before, “Pearl is pretty dedicated to outer space, I don’t think you could make an offer that beats what she has now.”

Dr. Maheswaran wrapped her stethoscope back around her neck; she winked, “Watch me try.”

They shared a laugh, one that didn’t feel forced.

“And before you ask, I managed to slip you into one of Vidalia’s room. She’s sweet, has a couple kids, and understands what it’s like to need certain things in life. She’ll look after you for the next week.” It must has looked like Peridot was about to argue, because the doctor held up a hand with one finger raised to silence her objections, “A week. You got severely electrocuted, I’m sure your impressive scientist friends can survive without you for that long. Plus, you’ll get to relax and let someone else take care of you for a change.”

Peridot nodded, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” The doctor’s eyes crinkled a little in the corners, “And Vidalia knows all your religious needs, she’s actually … well usually the nurse for people with culture and heritage based in Islam. It’s mostly because she’s the one who knows what you might need to do throughout the day. She did a lot of traveling when she was younger, so she knows what she’s doing. Don’t be afraid to tell her what you need though, alright? I’ll come back later and we’ll go over your insurance, after care, and a breakdown of what happened to your body. Alright?”

Peridot nodded, swallowing what felt like a frog down her throat, “Can we wait until Pearl gets here? She’s better with these things. I’m just a technician.”

The doctor nodded, picking up the clipboard and smiling, “I believe you’re much more than that Dr. Almaz, but I’ll make sure to call Dr. Huître and have her come in. She visited you briefly overnight, so we have all the contact info we need.”

Dr. Maheswaran waited until Peridot nodded before she left the room.

This hospital wasn’t all that bad.

__

It took a while for Pearl to show up, and when she was finally beside Peridot, she looked exhausted. She also held a box in her hands, that was twice as long as it was wide. Peridot really didn’t want that to be what she thought it was.

“Pearl!” She exclaimed upon seeing her friend coming in the door. She couldn’t help it, she started grinning, her smile spreading until her cheeks hurt and she was laughing, “That took you forever. Last time I was in the hospital, you never left.”

Pearl puffed, blowing hair out of her eyes. She looked bedraggled, haphazardly thrown together and barely awake, “Ha, very funny. I was with you long enough that I know the name of every nurse on the floor. Vidalia sounds very pretty by the way.”

She makes her way over to Peridot, gently placing the box at the end of the bed before sitting beside it, “How are you?”

Peridot sighs, “Allah be praised, I’m not in pain. My phantom pain hasn’t really been acting up, and Vidalia has been very accommodating with my meals. She even ate with me, both breakfast when I first woke up, and lunch later in the day. She’s helped me religiously, with medicine, with food… By the way, she said you gave her a list of my favorite foods?”

Pearl’s eyes sparkled, “Of course I did, it’ll be dinner time soon, by the way. I thought I would eat with you.”

Peridot watched Pearl's face, noticing the bags under her eyes. Of course she would love to eat with Pearl, however, “How much sleep have you had?”

Pearl’s smile fades a little, a small pout forming. It was barely noticeable, but Peridot knew her too well, “I’ve slept.”

“Enough?”

“More than enough.”

They watch each other warily, neither willing to admit what was happening. A stand off of sorts, Pearl's hand hovering near her hips and Peridots eyebrows near their peak. To save the both of them, Vidalie walks in the door. She pauses, looking between the two of them with a raised brow.

“I thought you were friends.” Her voice is more laughter than anything else, and both Pearl and Peridot dissolve into giggles.

“Hello Vidalia, good to see you again.”

“Likewise Pearl,” Food is set down on a table, and the nurse slides it over to where Peridot’s mouth is near the tray. Then, she beings to press the button to raise the bed.

If Peridot hadn’t been used to this, she would be humiliated.

“Actually, Vidalia, would you mind if we attached these before she ate?” Pearl opens the box as she speaks, and Peridot’s jaw drops.

Those are not her prosthetics. _Those are her prosthetics_.

“Pearl! It’s been, what, a day? How in the world did you make and finish a set of prosthetics in that time?” Peridot struggles to sit herself up, she’s moving too fast and too hard, but she wants to view them more fully. However, Pearl is taking them out and showing them to her without the need. Her friend is grinning, obviously pleased with herself.

“Well, I actually had these planned for a “We’re heading to the launch pad!” gift. But, since you needed them now, I went ahead of schedule and finished them. I figured you would need the best prosthetics I can make if you’re going to have to live in space for awhile.” Pearl gently turns them, showing the different toes and fingers. Peridot's last set hadn’t really had toes, more just the resemblance of toes.

“Pearl.” Peridot breathes out, feeling the tears welling up, “Thank you.”

An arm is in Pearl’s hands, and she points to Peridot’s left limb, asking permission. Pearl understands what it’s like to have people touch without permission, she understand the sanctity that is her personal space.

Vidalia coughs, and the woman is smiling at the two of them, “I’ll be back in a bit with some celebrational food.”

They don’t even notice her leave, as Pearl is gliding smooth plastic over Peridot’s skin and there is no pain. There is no pain. Glorious days, Pearl is amazing. She is truly _blessed_ to have a friend like Pearl.

Pearl stops for a second, not reaching for something that would attach the arm to Peridot, instead she is looking at Peridot with a grin, “Guess what?”

“What?”

She lets go. There are no straps, and yet the piece stays fully attached. Peridot cannot move it, not yet, but she’s sure Pearl has something in mind. Then Pearl is scrambling and picking something out of the box, placing the tiny thing on the top of her finger that she’s holding near Peridot’s eyes, waiting for Peridot to nod permission. Pearl hold’s Peridot’s chin, smiling at her while leaning in. She places the tiny thing between her teeth, places her knees on either side of Peridot’s body, and gently undoes the hijab.

Peridot’s body freezes (thoughts on whether this is decent filter through her mind), but she trusts Pearl. Pearl is family. In a way... Pearl is better than family.

Then there are fingers running through her hair and she’s breathless. Pearl lets go of her chin, uses one hand to hold her hair up, and she leans over Peridot to see the back of her neck. Peridot wonders if Pearl realizes just HOW close she is, she’s… incredibly close.

Pearl leans back a little, just enough that she can talk directly into Peridot’s ear. She has three fingers are pressed against Peridot’s neck, just inside the hairline.

“This is going to hurt, you ready?” Her voice brushes against Peridot’s ear and she shivers, despite trying her best not too.

“Yeah, go for it.”

Searing pain travels down her spine, and she clenches her teeth, as well as her fists mentally. She slams her head into Pearl’s shoulder and attempts to breath properly. The pain passes, just a few seconds, just enough that she’s wrapped into Pearl and she realizes that she actually does have a fist clenched and it’s touching Pearl’s back.

She feels it touching Pearl’s back.

She unwinds herself from Pearl, pulling away, and Pearl too pulls away. She gets off of Peridot, slipping off the bed to stand beside her. Her fingers are twitching, and she obviously wants to do more to the arm that Peridot is now staring at.

Peridot moves her fingers and laughs when she feels them brush against one another. She feels it, and she has never been quite so happy than in this moment.

“Pearl, I can feel it.” She looks to Pearl, laughing while she moves her arm. She does a circle, starting at the shoulder and then sliding the movement down so her arm makes a large loop. Then, she touches her face, and her eyes are bright. They are a brilliant green, and happy. Simply sparkling.

Pearl smiles and reaches out, crooking one finger to request the arm. Fear grips Peridot, and she almost believes Pearl is going to take the arm away, but she’s being silly. This is Pearl after all.

Pearl takes the arm, and it feels like electricity has gone through her. Not like the kind that had previously incapacitated her for hours, but warmth. Joy bundled into a little shock. It feels amazing. Pearl then presses a few spots on the arm, and a little panel opens up, “So I figured you could make computer modifications yourself. I design prosthetics, but you design computers. And you certainly like personalizing them,” The glare Peridot receives is playful, “So you can do it from here.”

Peridot looks. Inside it looks like bone, but it is, in fact, wires. Tons of tiny wires, each pulsing and sending signals to what Pearl has installed into the base of her skull, “How does the arm stay attached?”

“I gave you a very powerful anesthetic. There are spikes, it goes in and the wires connect to your bone.” Pearl’s voice is flat, but fast. It’s hard to catch every word.

“WHAT?” Peridot yells, glancing between the arm and Pearl in rapid succession, “Then why couldn’t you do that with what you put in the back of my head?”

“I didn’t have enough for five doses.”

“Why would you need… five doses?”

Pearl is then attaching the other arm, “See, the anesthetic is in the arm itself. It shoot it into your bloodstream only a little bit before attaching itself. This anesthetic is extremely powerful, but it dissipates quickly. However, by the time I get to your last leg, you’re going to feel it a little due to the rapid adaptation your body will undergo.”

Peridot sighs, squeezing her new first. Then she smiles as she quickly adapts to the new mechanisms, squeezing and releasing each fist a few times before raising her eyebrow at Pearl, “How much is a little?”

Pearl blinks at her, innocently, “Just a little.”

“Pearl.”

She slides the sheets down, and looks for with permission again. She won’t do it until Peridot says so, and Peridot can’t resist the idea that she might be able to feel her toes. She nods.

Pearl grins, sliding the gown up and Peridots leg into place. A jolt, similar to a pinch, and the Peridot can wiggle her toes with ease. She laughs, crying. She hasn’t felt toes in years. Her hands get raised, pressed against her mouth.

She’s bawling.

Pearl’s at her head in seconds, wrapping her into a hug that Peridot clings too. Pearl did this for her. Pearl sacrificed time and energy, resources, supplies, into making these. These… were amazing.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have prosthetics this good originally, but I was just starting work in this area you know. It took awhile to get to the point that I could make the kind of prosthetics you needed.”

Peridot stops her, “Pearl, you’re amazing and wonderful and...” _Blessed. With a gift._

Pearl is blushing, waving off the compliment, “I’m not really, I just want you to be happy. Let’s get your other leg on?”

Peridot nods eagerly, watch as Pearl slides the prosthetic into place. 

It’s like someone took a sledgehammer to her leg, and she screams. Her hands come downward, and grip at where her knee met her prosthetic. Pearl is hugging her again, stroking her hair. They stay like that for a bit, and Peridot turns into Pearl’s embrace. She can’t explain the guilt pooling in her gut, but she begins to feel her breathing regulate. The pain fading, Pearl pulls away and gently runs her hands through her hair, smiling while she does so. She feels her fingers clutching against the fabric of Pearl’s shirt, she feels her toes wiggling. She feels these things.

“Vidalia’s going to be back soon, want help putting on your hijab?”

“No!” Peridot stutters through clenched teeth. She does need to put her hijab on, but Pearl’s there. Her skin is warm, and she’s still blushing, “Let me do it. I haven’t felt…”

Pearl just smiles, pulling away, “I’ll give you one more thing…” She leans away, and Peridot’s hands fall into her lap. Pearl rummages around in the box with one hand, lightly touching Peridot’s leg with the other. After a few seconds, she pulls out something.

It’s a mirror. A simple, beautiful mirror.

Pearl disappears behind the curtain and lets Peridot do what she wishes.

Vidalia knocks, and she peeks inside the door. Pearl put up a little 1 with her fingers, smiling and nodding, they wait.

Turns out Vidalia found both cake and the doctor. 


	10. The Crash and Arguments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis and Jasper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl wanted tea. That's all she wanted.

The next day, Pearl and Peridot are still in the hospital together. Pearl had stayed the night, laughing and watching silly tv shows with her friend before zonking out around 1 in the morning, on Peridot’s lap. While she may have freaked out a little, Peridot just positioned Pearl’s head so she could breath, then leaned back and slept as well.

In the morning, when Pearl went to get tea, Peridot did her morning routine (albeit somewhat limited) and experimented, trying different grip strengths and laughing when she picked something up that she hadn’t been able to before.

Pearl stayed, complaining every once in a while, but they spent the day together while Peridot made fun of Pearl for eating her jello.    

Eventually, the doctor comes in with a confused expression and a note.

“The nurses wanted you to know someone named Jasper wants to speak to you? Apparently she’s banned from the hospital however, so they are slightly concerned.” The doctor looked up confused, more unsure of the words on the note than her own response.

Pearl just groans and buries her head in Peridot’s shoulder, “Why is your family so weird?”

Peridot groans as well, rolling her head into her newly attached hands (hands that had really thrown the doctor for a loop), “I don’t even know.”

* * *

 

Lapis looks up from her work, and when she sees the hulking figure glaring down at her, she blurts the first thought that comes to her still processing brain, “Oh for FUCK’S sake, I swear our project has turned into a shit stack of a train wreck. For the sake of flying fucking monkeys in a fucking shoe box, I can’t even right now.”

“I need you to get into Peridot’s room.” The being that stands before her is six foot six, with broad shoulders and muscles. She wears a baseball cap, with her hair tucked inside, and jeans with pockets to stick her hands in. For the most part, Jasper is harmless if she knows you well enough and counts you as a friend.

“Not happening, Jasp. Remember what happened last time I let you in the hospital?” Lapis clenches her teeth, glaring, and presses closer to poke a singular digit into Jasper’s built chest, “Not. Fucking. Happening.” Each word comes with a poke.

“Look, I’ve grown. I know not to punch doctors, nurses, or patients. I was just concerned and they were being fuckin’ disciminatory. She’s family. She’s like… the only family I care about anyway.” Jasper looks away, grunting a little and avoiding eye contact with Lapis.

“How long did it take Peridot to recover mentally?”

Jasper glances between the vibrating Lapis, her anger palpable in the air, and the ceiling, “I dunno.”

“Fuckin’ six months. You’re not seeing her.” She says it like an oath, a final word to lay down on Jasper’s shoulders.

Jasper gets angry, she is furious and her hair begins to pop out of her cap as she tenses up and clenches her fists, “She just had her fuckin’ arms and legs blown off and you expected me to be calm? Even you’re not that heartless you fuckin’ monster!”

“Yeah!? A monster? You wanna go and prove it? Come on, try me you fucker.”

“I wouldn’t hit someone like you, I’d snap you in half!” Jaspar is livid, spewing spittle and yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Won’t know if you don’t try! I bet you couldn’t even make a bruise! In fact, I bet you couldn’t even land a hit.” The last sentence Lapis says with a dark undertone, more of a threat than anything else that had crossed her lips this day.

Lapis and Jasper are circling each other at this point, still close enough to touch, but watching each other like sharks eyeing prey. Jasper realizes where this is going, remembers the anger management therapy she went through, and she take a deep breathe. Suddenly, she halts in her tracks.

“Fuckin’ Pearl loses her shit, slices a guy up, puts him in the fuckin’ hospital, and I get in trouble for punching some pieces of shit. I gave a couple guys black eyes, she gave a guy scars for life.” Jasper clenches her teeth, trying to defuse the situation. She and Lapis had nearly come to blows before, but she knew Peridot would never forgive her for laying a hand on her best friend.

The words hit Lapis, making her shiver and her anger fade away. “Pearl had a reason.” She begins to shrink, her tone defensive.

“Enough of a reason to almost kill a guy?” Jasper takes off her cap, running her hands through her hair and eyeing Lapis. She replaces the cap a second later, tucking the locks that sway into her face behind her ears.

Lapis almost looks lost in this moment, glancing between the doorway and Jasper with faint confusion, “She didn’t almost kill him.”

“She almost killed him. You’re so fuckin’ blind, you can’t even accept that people you love mess up. Pearl messed up. Did I shit on her though? No, because I fuckin’ messed up too. Pearl understood what I did, she talked to me about it. She forgave me. Why haven’t you?’

Lapis is stunned by this, pulling away and clenching her fists by her sides, “No! Pearl didn’t do that, she would have told me. She would have told Peridot. She would have told us!”

“Yeah, whatever. Don’t believe me. I just want to visit my family, please Lapis.” Jasper whispers the last bit, kicking the edge of the table and moving it from force of the blow.

Then Lapis steels herself, her eyes narrow, and she gives a toothy grin, “Sure, but I’m driving.”

“Ah, hell no.”

Garnet steps into the room then, “What’s with all the yelling?”

They both appear to gawp at her, just before Lapis elbows Jasper in the side and they both smile in a manner akin to a baby having gas.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” Garnet states, her shortness a sharp contrast to their drawn out squabbles.

Lapis just whisks her hand about, “Reacquainting like family usually does.”

Garnet nods and leaves without another word.

“Wait,” Jasper snorts, “She believed that?”

“No, she’s just better at reading body language than you.”

 

It isn’t until they’re halfway to the hospital that Lapis remembers Jasper said arms and legs, not arms and feet. A second later, it also occurs that Jasper said she loved Pearl. When was the best time to correct the woman that took up half her car?

All Jasper can think about is the pain in her wrist, and how Lapis was very good at hurting in just the right spot to make her release the keys. There was no way that was her first time.

The ride is a little longer when not in an ambulance. The nearest city being an hour away from their lab in the woods. It’s a quiet ride, one they both would have enjoyed had Lapis’ phone not gone off in a symphony of noises that made Jasper want to claw her ears out.

“Answer it,” Lapis looks at Jasper, then the phone, and Jasper is certain she’s never seen Lapis so… afraid before.

“Why the fuck would I answer it? Can’t it wait until we get to the hospital?”

Lapis glares, before gritting out, “Answer. the. god. damn. phone…. or I will.”

Jasper sighs, muttering something about being ‘fucking demanding’ beneath her breath, “Yo, hello. This is Jasper, Lapis is driving right now and I don’t want to fuckin’ die. So please state your business and I’ll be the correspondence.” The entire car swerves, Jasper puts the phone against her shoulder, “Watch where you’re fuckin’ going Lapis, I’d rather not die before going to the hospital.”

When she places the phone back against her ear she hears a low voice, “Are you done shouting?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Lapis is a bit of a shit driver. You a friend or business contact?”

“Business” The voice responds instantly, not hesitating, and seeming to flow like molasses, “She doesn’t talk and drive does she?”

“Nope, at least not while I’m in the car.” Jasper grins at Lapis, trying to share the joke. But Lapis is gripping the wheel so tight her hands have gone white, she’s glancing towards Jasper with eyes a little too wide for comfort every couple seconds. If there had been any problems with her driving before, there certainly was now. She looks anxious enough to cause a heart attack. Jasper’s smile fades.

“So what did you need?”

The voice breathes out a laugh, “I contacted her yesterday, turns out I needn’t blame her at all for Pearly’s little transgression! She sent it over private channels along to people who aren’t supposed to receive these things. Tell her that, and then I’ll say more.”

“Yeah sure, um, what’s your name?”

“Something you couldn’t possibly pronounce, call me Dr. Van.”

Jasper is watching Lapis, “So like, Dr. Van says she doesn’t blame you for whatever Pearl did. She did it a sneaky way.”

Lapis seemed to relax, just a little, but her grip stays strong and her eyes still wider than normal.

Dr. Van continued talking, “Good summary. I see your a competent translator. I’ll keep that in mind. Next, tell her that I want Peridot’s old prosthetics shipped to me. I adore seeing Pearly’s work. Go one then, say it.”

“Uh,” Jasper looks between the road and Lapis, “So Lapi.”

“Yes?” Her voice is strained, and it seems she’s trying her best to stay calm.

“She wants Peri’s old stuff, the prosthetics, and you’re going to ship them to her. Why are you shipping them to her?”

“I work for her.”

“Don’t you work for Pearl?”

“Can we talk about that later? Please just finish the call.” It almost sounds like she’s crying, but choking back the tears and putting them in words,

If Jasper hadn’t been confused before, she was now, “Um, Dr. Van, what else?”

“Blue knows you work for me.”

The phone clicked.

“She hung up?” Jasper mumbles something while watching Lapis, “You’re in some deep shit huh?”

“What’d she say?” Lapis pulls the car over, and then parks. It takes her some effort, but she makes eye contact with Jasper and waits.

“Not until you tell me who the hell that was.” Jasper is insistent, waiting and watching as Lapis has war with herself. She’s never seen her like this. She watched this kid grow, at least from college onward, and she’s been by Peri the entire time. How could Peri not see what was happening?

“I can’t,” She sobs out, and then she breaks down. She’s weeping, curling up in the driver's seat of her car, “I can’t or she’ll rip up our contract. No one can know, she said that.”

Jasper is at a loss of what to do. She’s watching her family’s best friend break down, and she sighs. She places her hand on Lapis’ back and rubs, just a little, “Yo, then don’t tell. For the sake of Hades and Persephone, just don’t tell me. But… eventually, tell Peri okay? She’ll help you.”

Lapis sniffles, but then she laughs… and then she’s shaking with laughter and can’t contain it, “You’re the one to say that to me. Jasper.”

Jasper chuckles, “I have a heart.”

“Yeah, but who knew how big it could be?” She turns back, and then wipes away the tears and sighs.

Jasper grunts, “Don’t go insulting me. I just comforted you.”

Lapis snorts, “I’ll insult you all I want. Anyway, to the hospital we go.”

It take a few minutes, or driving and watching Lapis collect herself, before Jasper can bring herself to the idea of telling Lapis the final message.

“Hey, Lapi.”

She sighs, glancing between Jasper and the road, “What is it?”

“Her final message was something about Blue? Blue knowing you work for Dr. Van?”

If Jasper’s honest with herself, she would have seen this coming. She would have felt the fear in Lapis ever since that conversation. She would have seen what Lapis was going to do. Instead, she had to watch as Lapis slammed on the breaks, and they both were left breathless by the airbags as she hit a tree.

What a great fuckin’ day.

* * *

 

Pearl watches the people coming in. She’s down in reception, talking to Barbara. She’s a nice woman, who moved into the area recently to be closer to her daughter.

“You lived in Chicago?”

Barbara laughs, “Yeah, me and my daughter. Crazy teenage years, but we survived them together.”

“Does the city live up to it’s nickname?”

She laughs again, and they continue to talk until she gets a call, “So it says your an emergency contact for someone they brought into emergency? Mind heading over there?”

Pearl’s gone before she could finish the question. From what Pearl knew, she was the emergency contact for two people. One was Peri, and she was already in the hospital, and the other was Lapis. Whose whereabouts were unknown to Pearl, she had just assumed Lapis was doing work. Until now.


	11. Jasper and Peridot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis comes to the hospital with Jasper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to celebrate myself a little. I'm putting out a chapter at 9, my time, every day of the stevenbomb. So yeah. Enjoy.

Of course Lapis is in the hospital. Of course she is, because this is what she considers hell.

She’s sitting in a room just off of emergency, where the less severe injuries can be assessed and helped. It’s a bit different than the stark white of the upper floors, there is color markings along the trim to indicate just what kind of trauma this room was for -- non-life threatening.

“Ma’am, I need you to fill out these forms, or at least let me help you fill them out if you’re incapable. Are you of Asian descent?” The man is asking as he stands in front of her with a clipboard and pen, or she assumes it’s a man. She shouldn’t really, seeing as she’s pretty much not what she appears to be, it’s hard to remember this sometimes.

“Take a wild guess.” She’s holding an ice pack to her face, only able to watch them scramble to write down ‘yes’ on their little sheet.

“Do you have any cultural or -- “

“I’m fucking American. Don’t you dare mark my gender as female, I already have a regular doctor to go to as an after care check up. I haven’t had contact with my family in years, and the only emergency contact I have is in THIS hospital. Contact Barbara, ask for Pearl. Please, for the sake of all that is good in this world, stop talking.”

They practically run away, and Lapis sits. And sits. Does she feel bad for snapping at the person trying to satisfy her needs? Yes. Is she going to fix it? No. She’d rather Pearl hear about the incident before that happens. Her neck hurts, she has a massive headache, and she’s really considering tearing out her hair.

Jasper was in the emergency room, but she’s perfectly fine (not a scratch or concussion present after being fucking slammed into an airbag). Checked out and heading to Peri’s room without another word to Lapis. Not that she blames her, she did crash them into a tree. Oh god, Pearl’s car.

She was going to suffer slowly by Pearl’s hands and Peri is going to let it happen.

Lapis groans and lets her head hang down, the ice pack barely managing to stay somewhat connected to her black eye, at least until someone touches her shoulder and she whips around to see them.

“Hi Pearl.” The ice pack is then pressed more firmly against her eye, she’ll be damned if Pearl see’s that. Maybe she should get an eyepatch.

Pearl’s better than when Lapis last saw her, when she was falling asleep at her desk and looking like death itself was coming. There’s a slight smile in the corner of her mouth, but concern in her eyes. It’s more than Lapis can take, Pearl’s concern is like a drug.

“I’m fine Pearl.” Lapis brushes off Pearl’s hands while she can.

“You’re in the hospital.” Pearl keeps trying, and the ice pack eventually gets knocked away and Pearl gasps.

“I’m fine.” She tries to make her words pointed, mean more.

“Oh god, look at your eye.” Pearl doesn’t hear or she’s just not listening, because Pearl’s thumb lightly brushes against the swollen lid. It makes Lapis shiver, that touch wasn’t enough to hurt.

“I’m fine.” Lapis acquiesces to the hands when Pearl stops and gives her a look, but still pouts when Pearl frowns at her.

Pearl sighs and then sweeps Lapis’s hair back behind her ears, “You’re sure?”

“Yes, mother, I’m sure.” Lapis scrunches up her nose at her, and Pearl sticks out her tongue. Without warning, Pearl’s got her head in her hands, and she’s turning it from side to side to check for damage.

“I already have one best friend in the hospital for at least a week, I don’t want you here too.” It’s probably Lapis’s imagination, but Pearl looks at her lovingly while she speaks, sighing when she finally lets go of Lapis’s head.

“Sorry, Jasper distracted me and then I rammed a tree …” She waits for the other shoe to drop, waits for Pearl to realize what happened. It doesn’t take long.

The groan marks the realization, and the sinking onto the bed behind Lapis the reaction, “I drove your car.” She lays in the bed, face down in the sheets and arms spread out in front of her.

“Well Peri’s car.” Lapi replies, watching as Pearl turns her head to glare at her over the arm in her way.

“And so you took mine.”

Lapis shrugs, “I would have taken the right care, why’d you take Peri’s anyway?”

Pearl just groans in response.

 

Jasper is in Peri’s room, and the two are watching each other.

“Why are you so weird?” It comes from Peridot, who is smiling, with her arms crossed against her chest. Their fingers are tucked inward, and her elbows a little two outward. It’s like when she was using her old prosthetics, some things just happen.

Then Jasper grins and she crosses her arms in front of her chest as well, “I believe it’s because, and I quote, “I’m too orange to be anything else.””

Then they’re laughing, and Jasper’s laugh fills the room like an opera singer’s song. It’s loud and buoyant in the processed air.

“So how’d you get in the hospital anyway? I believe Dr. Hartman has a no order, in capital letters and a few exclamation marks, on you.” Peridot is smirking, with a little flash of mischief in the corner of her eye. Jasper notices it, enjoys it, and she smirks back.

“Eh, got into a car crash. Nothing big.”

“WHAT?” Peridot almost jerks herself off the bed in response, her arms flailing and grabbing hold of her IV and pulling it across her lap. There’s a crash as SOMETHING falls into the floor, but Peri doesn’t. She rights herself, sighing with relief and checking around her to see if anything broke.

Her IV is fine, thank goodness she says aloud as she rights it, but her nurse call button is in the floor… and broken.

Jasper is at her side, rolling her eyes and mumbling under her breathe, “You’re such a fuckin’ idiot, what the hell Pear? I look fine... right?”

The glare she receives could turn a person to stone, “So you weren’t in a car crash?”

“No, I was.” The punch in her arm hurts ten times more than it used to, “What the fuck Pear, I don’t remember you being that strong.”

“Yeah, well, I remember you being that reckless,” Another glare comes from the small person with green arms, “And stop calling me Pear.”

“Pearl calls you Peri.” Jasper gives a slight protest, waving her arm in reminiscence of Pearl, “And Lapis calls you, not only Peri all the time, but Dot as well when she’s feeling really affectionate.” Another arm motion, one much more violent than the last.

Peridot snorts, “Yeah, well they earned their nicknames… and those nicknames aren’t stupid. Who wants to be named after a fruit?”

Jasper blinks, shrugging, “I dunno, a fruit?”

The look they exchange is one of amazement, or perhaps just disbelief. It lasts a few seconds, each just watching the other.

“You’re an idiot.” Peridot groans, turning to watch the window and sigh.

The response is immediate. “You are too!” Jasper yells, looking fit to fight someone.

“Not as much as you!” Peridot whips around and yells right back, shaking a fist in Jasper’s face.

“Those new prosthetics?” Jasper blinks. Peridot pauses, and Jasper watches the hand that Peridot is slowly opening and showing to her. Peridot then grunts, nodding and slowly rolling down the covers to show her legs. She wiggles her toes, and fingers, slowly showing the range of movement they’re capable of -- pretty much whatever a normal human could do, perhaps more.

“That’s cool, Pearl’s work?” Jasper takes a seat and watches as Peridot slides her covers back up and nods.

“Yeah, she worked really hard and I can actually feel what I’m doing now. She’s blessed. She truly is.”

The words sound sad in a way, almost distant. Peri’s playing with her fingers, dancing one hand’s fingers along one arm while the other just opens and closes. Leaning over, she begins to cry. It’s a slow cry, soundless with an open mouth. One hand wraps around the wrist of the other, gripping tight, “How can I ever be as good a friend to her? Look what she’s done for me? Allah bless her, but here I am with fake arms and legs. I can’t do anything on my own, how will I ever be as good a friend to her as she is to me?”

Jasper lets her cry, lets her shout her frustrations, “And the cockpit? She’s done all the programming. I’m practically useless with space maneuvers. How can I say I’m an equal part of this team? How can I say I’m useful?”

She’s seen this before, she’s watched Peridot breakdown and pick herself back up. It’s hard to watch, but sometimes… sometimes someone has to cry. Sometimes, a person just has to curl up and be who they are. When Peridot’s body begins to shake, hiccuping and the crying gains sound, she puts one hand on Peri’s back. She doesn’t rub, doesn’t move, just waits. In a minute, she pats it once, and then continues to wait until Peri’s hiccups become softer.

It takes a few minutes, then she’s sucking in breath and hiccuping without being able to really hold it back. She’s trying her best to stop, but she’s failing.  She’s got to see this to the end and has to wait for her lungs to catch up with what her emotions are doing. The weight of Jasper’s hand is a kindness.

“Feeling better?” Jasper grunts, her gruffness just a part of who she is, Peri’s used to it.

“Ye- *hiccup* - ah,” Peridot wipes away the wetness from her face using her sheet, trying to use the underside so Pearl won’t see it when she comes back (it’s useless though, because there’s water all over from her crying and no manner of trying to flip around and fuss with the covers can change that), “I *hiccup* think so.”

Jasper grunts, pulling her hands back and watching Peridot sit up fully, her hiccups downing down; her breathing is still slightly erratic, but it also begins to return to normal.

“Hey,” Jasper says, waiting for Peridot to look at her, “You’re being an idiot.”

She bursts out laughing, and she’s wiping at her face with her hands while she does so, “You think?”

Jasper snorts and laughs out loud, “I know you’re being an idiot! Look at me? I know what idiocy is, and you are currently in possession of it.”

Then they’re both laughing, and it’s loud enough that Vidalia comes in with a small smile and a slightly concerned look.

“You o-” she stops as soon as she sees the sight. It’s the two of them, leaning close and laughing like hyenas, but there’s something like a sibling bond about it. Two siblings, both giggling over a prank. She’s seen it in her sons, and she sees it in them now. She smiles, “You two need something?”

They both look at her, guilty and trying to hide smiles, “Oh no, nothing.”

“Yeah, nothing.”

“Mmmmhmm,” She eyes them, and her smile grows a little, “You sure about that? I see the nurse button looks rather smashed.”

Oh the look those two share, god they reminded her of her sons. She leaves to get a new one with a simple motherly look that states more than words can.

“I should thank Allah for having such good family.” Peridot doesn’t hug Jasper, doesn’t touch Jasper, but the thought it there.

Jasper snorts, “Yeah, well, thank Allah for me having a great family too.”


	12. Climbing and Stairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl is more muscular than people think

Dr. Maheswaran gives Lapis a very judgemental look, “Shouldn’t you be staying out of trouble with your friend already taking up one of our rooms?”

Lapis returns the look with a glare, she opens her mouth to retort when Pearl steps in with a weak smile to stop her.

“She should, but Peri’s family is in town to visit and they’re quite distracting. I don’t think Laps here could help it.” She places a hand on Lapis’ arm and pats a couple times.

Lapis feels her eyes twitching, “Did… did you just call me Laps?”

Pearl’s nails dig into her skin.

“Yup, that’s what happened. Pearl is completely right. I would not argue with her for the world.” Lapis sighs with relief when Pearl stops, and the two share a look of mild irritation.

The doctor looks between the two of them, “Mmmhmm, I see. Well you’re free to go. Stop by Barbara and she’ll have a prescription for some simple painkillers. You have a concussion and need to be careful, as well as not eat or drink, for the next 6 to 12 hours. Hope you ate before you came. Dont be alone, have someone with you. Don’t drink alcohol for the next 24 hours. Rest for the next day or so, keep an ice pack on swollen areas, and don’t be stupid.”

She pauses, giving Lapis a knowing look before handing her a packet of paper, “Here is what I said in a longer and more detailed format. Hopefully you can follow instructions. Please, I appreciate being able to help, but I don’t want to see any more of you or your scientists in here. You guys appear to be a magnet for natural disasters,” One last glance between the two of them and she sighs, “I have other patients. If Peridot needs me please have Vidalia send a page. Excuse me.”

The doctor leaves in a flurry of paperwork and confusion. Pearl is reading over the notes given, humming softly and stroking Lapis’ arm where the nails had left an impression, “I’ll stay at your place, or are you willing to stay at my place?”

Lapis open and closes her mouth a few times, before swallowing, “Um, your place? Peridot is kinda… picky about the home front for reasons. You know.”

Pearl nods and resumes her humming. There are several pages, and she uses one hand to hold up the packet while she reads. Lapis doesn’t dare bother her while she processes the information. At least not yet, sometimes Pearl gets too absorbed into what she’s doing.

It’s a few minutes later and Pearl’s free hand has found its way into Lapis’ hair. Lapis doesn’t mind, not really, and Pearl generally only forgets her physical boundaries when she’s tired or concerned, so she allows this infiltration of her hair. Lapis giggles at the thought that Peridot would be dying right now.

She’s terrible at hiding things.

“If I understand this right, I should probably keep you at my place for a couple days. The first day’s the most important, but the next few days should still be treated with care,” Pearl’s hand stilled, and she pulled it away to neatly fold the packet into a medium size square. It fits perfectly in her pocket.

“You have pockets?” Lapis murmurs, more to herself than Pearl, but Pearl answers anyway.

“Customized online.”

“Ah.”

They share another look, and Pearl glares, “If you didn’t have a concussion, I would smack you so hard upside the head you’d see stars.”

Lapis smirks, “Good thing I have a concussion then.”

“You’re such an ass.” Pearl smiles though, even as she crosses her arms in front of her chest and rolls her eyes.

“Sorry about that.” Lapis sighs, “I mess up, I know.”

Pearl is surprised, from what Lapis can tell, and her arms fall to her sides as she tilts her head, “I didn’t mean it like that Lapis, you’re perfectly fine. We all have our faults.”

It sounds odd, coming from Pearl, “Yeah?”

“That’s why we make a good team, we balance each other out,” then Pearl laughs, “If you were perfect, I might have to pull my hair out. Your attitude plus perfection? No one would survive.”

“Pft,” Lapis rolls her eyes and then pulls Pearl in for a hug, “Thanks.”

“Let’s go see Peri, alright?”

Pearl literally carries her up the stairs. Which, is a little surprising if Lapis could say so. While an incredible sword fighter, and an expert in ballet, strong was not the word that came to mind when thinking of Pearl. Grace was one, for certain, but strong was generally not something someone thought when looking at a five foot five, spindly human with a feminine build.

“Shit snacks, Pearl, what do you eat?” Lapis squirms, not afraid in the least of Pearl dropping her. She can feel the muscle pressed against her side, and she’s a little intimidated. How has Pearl’s hits not broken bone?

“Whatever’s in my fridge, or whatever Peridot deems I should eat and shoves at me. You know me, why are you asking? For the sake of the Lord and Lady, we have known each other for years, and you’re only now noticing my eating habits? Speaking of which, remind me to go grocery shopping before I take us home,” Pearl takes the steps two at a time, using a fast enough pace that Lapis is frightened, but slow enough by Pearl’s estimate to not bother Lapis’ concussion.

“Pearl slow down! What are you? Hermes? I would rather not die while going up the stairs!” Lapis fights a little more, punching the air above their heads in frustration when she realizes her efforts to escape are in vain, “How strong are you? Are you made of muscle?”

Pearl looks down at her confused, “You and Peridot quite literally hug me every day, and you’re still surprised I actually have physical muscle mass.”

“Pearl, you look and feel like you weigh nothing more than a feather.”

Another confused look, “I feel like solid muscle, as Peridot has told me on more than one occasion.”

Lapis slumps and stops struggling, “That’s not what I meant, you’re just softer than you think. Are we almost there?” Lapis hangs over the side of Pearl’s arms and sighs, “I feel like not myself.”

“You’re acting like not yourself. You’re acting like you’re… fuzzy, dazed, tired. If you weren’t a happy drunk, I’d almost say that,” Pearl says these things casually, breathing evenly when she feels the exertion in her lungs, “Something bothering you? While I can say a concussion might make you drowsy, dizzy, and gives an annoying headache, I’m a little worried about your behavior being caused by something other than the concussion. Something going on?”

Of course Pearl would approach it as a scientist. Analyze, find the problem, identify what might be causing it, and then experiment.

“I’m fine, Pearl, nothing’s going o--” Pearl nudges open the door to Peridot’s room. Lapis had been so distracted, she hadn’t even noticed they’d stopped going up stairs.

“Lapis!” It comes from the person laying in the bed. Peri is doing jazz hands at her while grinning, “I missed you! Why haven’t you been here? Don’t tell me you’ve been working this entire time.”

Pearl dumps her in the chair next to the bed, next to Jasper’s coincidentally, and steps up onto the bed to circle like a cat and sit in cross-legged on the end, “Yes Lapis, where have you been?”

If Lapis didn’t know better, she would say that Pearl had just snickered, “I, uh, kinda got in a car crash,” She flinches.

“How did both you AND Jasper get into a car crash? What are the chances of that?” Peridot muses, and she’s pulling at Lapis’ hand and lacing their fingers together. She’s not angry, but humoured.

Pearl looks like she’s seen a ghost, “You two didn’t come here together did you?”

Lapis groans, “She cornered me into it, it’s not like I could just start duking it out with her in front of Garnet, what kind of message does that send?”

Jasper and Pearl exchange glances, and Jasper’s smirking, “You owe me ten bucks.”

It’s like a dance, and the cogs in Pearl’s head are turning until she comes up with her solution, “Actually, the ambulance brought you here. Lapis only brought you halfway. Our bet was on the entire ride to the hospital, so therefore you owe me 10 dollars.”

Oh the glare, Lapis and Peridot lean into each other and giggle as they enjoy the buildup of Jasper’s different facial expressions. First comes surprise, then confusion, then anger, then more confusion, and it settles on fury.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Jasper mutters through tight lips, and everyone else in the room starts laughing.

“Pearl’s logic sounds pretty good to me,” Peridot chimes in.

“Yeah, I’m with Pearl on this one,” Lapis follows Peridot’s words.

Jasper, unable to avoid the confrontation without defying everyone in the room, sulks and pulls out her wallet, “Damn scientists, I convinced Lapis and that would win my bet with any other person.”

Pearl uses her index and thumb to pluck the bill from Jasper’s hand, grinning and winking while she does so, “Well these “damn scientists” are going to colonize mars one day, isn’t that right fellow scientists?”

Lapis feels Peri squeeze her hand, and she grins at Pearl in response, “Hell yeah we are.”

“Of course!” Peridot proclaims at the same time as Lapis, and then the three of them put their free hands in the center of their bodies. Overlapping, and pressed against one another.

“3,” Lapis begins the countdown.

“2,” Peridot continues.

“1,” comes from Pearl.

And then they do their cheer, “Mars here we come!”

Despite the accidents and carnage to their project, it’s the first time in two weeks they are all laughing and happy.

“God you guys are all freaks,” But Jasper is playing, and she’s rolling her eyes while smiling at Peridot, “Good thing we’re family or I might have to pound you.”

Peridot isn’t sure if she’s kidding.


	13. Pearl and Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In comes Rose to the already large enough mess of a project, or at least that's what Lapis thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this before Sworn to the Sword.

The next day, when Peridot wakes up covered in Pearl and Lapis, with Jasper taking up both chairs, she isn’t really against it. Lapis is curled around her and using her chest as a pillow, while Pearl uses her stomach. It’s a little hot, and a little uncomfortable, but her friends are using her as a pillow. She’s not really going to fight them.

Jasper grunts in her sleep, and rolls off the chairs, inspiring booming laughter out of Peridot and mild cursing by Jasper, “Flying fuckity fuckduck fuck, what just happened?”

As Jasper climbs up the chairs, falling down at least once before being able to actually sit in one, Pearl wakes up and glares at her.

“Could you be any louder?” Pearl groans, rubbing her cheek more into Peridot’s stomach, “I’m still tired.

“You stayed awake for almost 48 hours and then only got five hours of sleep, and just now only got another five hours because you checked on Lapis every forty minutes. It’s no wonder you’re tired Pearl, but I need to move and do my things.”

Pearl groans, and rolls off the hospital bed, “Lapis, I know you’re awake.”

Lapis buries herself into Peridot, “No I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“Make me.”

Peridot shoves her off the bed, “Be gone, both of you, let me have a morning in peace.”

It’s not until Vidalia comes in, having kept the secret of their staying overnight, that Peridot’s visitors leave. She’s ushering them out the door, stating something about getting them out before the doctor finds out, when Peridot begins her morning ritual.

Pearl takes them to her home so they may all get ready to face the day.

* * *

While having questioned the entire idea behind the presence of Jasper, Garnet can’t fight something she isn’t a part of. Amethyst, on one hand, is happy to try and anger their guest. Lapis, on the other, seems to have tried to avoid them. Pearl is indifferent to it all.

“Why is she still here?” Lapis turns to Garnet, and makes a hand movement to indicate her displeasure, “I figured she would have left after we had our little spat yesterday.”

“Because she’s Peri’s family, and you’re going to attempt to get along with her,” It comes from Pearl, as she strides into the main room with a computer in her hands, “I know her presence makes you act less … well like you, but please try?”

They’re standing at the main computer, Garnet is inputting her data on how to change Mars’s atmosphere and Lapis is the one that’s uploading her data on ensuring water stays viable. They both turn to watch Pearl’s entrance. She’s in heels, making her as tall as Garnet, and she’s also wearing hoop earrings, makeup, and a much fancier set of clothes than usual.

Lapis whistles, “Meeting a nice boy?”

Pearl scrunches her nose, “Gods and Goddesses, no,” She shakes her head and makes a sound that conveys even more disgust than her facial expression, “Lapis you know I’m not into men.”

Lapis winks at Garnet and turns back to her work, “Oh, I know. We ALL know.”

But Garnet is more curious about the get-up than Pearl’s orientation, “Who are you meeting?”

Pearl waves a hand above her head, opening her mouth to answer, but she pauses and stands confused for a few seconds, “Oh you haven’t met her, one sec.”

Her fingers dance across the computer screen as she pulls up a picture on her computer, showing it to Garnet with a grin. It’s a woman in pink, overly so to the point of it being obnoxious, with a large amount of hair and a genuine smile. She’s hugging Pearl in the picture, and by hugging, it’s more picking up and strangling with love. Pearl looks happy however. And younger.

“Rose?” Garnet asks, looking between Lapis and Pearl. If Garnet hadn’t looked at Lapis, she might have missed the scowl.

Pearl is beaming however, “Yeah, Rose,” Then she hugs the computer to her, still smiling, practically blinding in her happiness, “Rose said she was coming to town to see me.”

“Where’s her husband?” Garnet turns to Lapis, who had asked the question, but Lapis still isn’t looking at Pearl. She’s doing her work, tapping at the computer screens like there is nothing else to be done.

Pearl slowly dulls, “Oh, um, he’s out on a road trip with some friends,” she’s gripping the computer hard enough that cracks begin to appear, spreading out from the tips of her fingers like spiderwebs, “He and Rose had a fight, so they decided to take a break and do something that made them both happy before reconvening. Steven’s coming with her.”

Garnet wanted to punch Lapis as hard as she could. Before her eyes, Pearl wilted and began to pick at her nails, clutching the broken computer to her chest, “You can come see her too, she adores you Lapis. You must know that.”

“I’m good.” Lapis doesn’t even turn around.

Pearl pulls inward, and Garnet watches her hunch her shoulders, “You sure? She’s going to visit Peri while she’s here.”

“I said I’m good.” Lapis’ voice is sharp, a knife into Pearl’s heart. Then, she twists, “I’m busy Pearl, do you need anything else?”

“N- No.” Pearl hiccups, curling around the computer in her arms, “I’ll just be going then.”

She leaves, more quietly than how she came. Her face is hidden, so no emotions can be seen.

“What’s wrong with you?” Garnet grabs Lapis’ shoulder and turns her around, “That wasn’t necessary.”

“Yes it was, you don’t even know Pearl! You’re her employee, you don’t even begin to know who she is outside of work,” Lapis is angry, but Garnet doesn’t back down.

“I remember her talking about Rose, she adores her. You told me she’s the one that pulled Pearl out of foster care. I think any kid would adore someone who did that for them.”

Lapis grits her teeth, “Pearl loves Rose, but Rose is married and Pearl needs to be reminded of that.”

“I’m certain Pearl already knows that seeing as she’s literally Rose’s daughter according to the government, she doesn’t need your reminder,” Garnet’s voice is cold, and she’s crossing her arms in front of her chest, “You’re just jealous.”

If Lapis hadn’t been facing her in that moment, if Garnet hadn’t turned her around when she had, she might have missed the look. It’s bland, like fury, but much more subtle, “No, I just don’t want her pining away again. Peri breaks down over her religion being tossed aside like scrap metal, well Pearl breaks down when she realizes Rose isn’t staying. Rose is a nomad, she travels and does her job. That’s what she does. It’s not my fault, but I’ll be damned if I help Pearl’s habit.”

Garnet listens, but she doesn’t say anything until Lapis has turned back around and begun her work again, “Pearl’s stronger than you think.”

Lapis leans forward, gripping the computer with both hands, “I know her better than you do.”

“We’ll see.”

* * *

Rose hadn’t just come in to see Pearl. No, Rose had been called by Pearl, told about Peridot’s accident, and then asked to help Pearl with the whole… being a director thing. Which, if Rose could honestly tell Pearl, she was worried. Pearl tended to be head strong, and the fact that she didn’t think she could handle it on her own, meant one of two things.

The first was that Pearl was being swamped with work and needed help.

The second was that Pearl was being swamped with work, behind deadlines, and has worked herself nearly to death in order to catch up. Having caught up with work, that would also mean the people around her are feeling neglected, or Pearl herself has been neglected, and she now needs help balancing her life out again.

The probability of the latter terrifies Rose to the point that she immediately came out with an excuse and everything, even though Pearl just asked her to meet at the launch site in a few months in the future.

So she picked a little restaurant, out of the way. It was a hole in the wall, behind a bar. It’s a nice place. Not like the one the Pizza family owns. Speaking of Pizza, she really needs to remember to ask Pearl if that’s their real name.

“Rose Quartz?” The waiter asks, smiling and directing her to the table she’s reserved.

She smiles at him. He’s a nice man after all, and everyone deserves a smile.

* * *

Pearl passes Amethyst on her way out the door. Despite their brief encounters, Amethyst feels a little attached to Pearl. She gave her this job, helped Garnet accomplish her dream, and she’s really, really nice.

“Yo, Pearl! How….” She pauses, watching Pearl’s hunched shoulders and downward stare. She’s walking, in heels no-less, like she’s trying to escape some shadow over her shoulder, “Something wrong?”

Pearl stops, glancing at Amethyst and sighing, “It’s just… nothing. It’s nothing. Thank you for asking Amethyst.”

It feels like a cold wall, a dismissal, but Amethyst has seen this before. She’s seen it in people on the streets, and she’s seen it in Garnet. It’s a smaller version of a breakdown. Both emotionally and physically exhausting, when someone’s on the precipice of something else. She’s actually kind of used to seeing it in people.

“You sure? If ya need to talk to someone, I’m always here ya know,” The words come out right, but they sound wrong for some reason. Like, they’re not what she wants Pearl to hear, “I mean… why don’t we talk about college sometime soon? You said we could exchange stories right?”

Pearl’s looking at her like she’s grown another head, and perhaps she has because she’s babbling again.

“You know, I have a really funny story about Garnet freshman year of undergrad. It’s kinda how we weren’t very good roommates but then became good roommates? I dunno, I’ll have to explain it to you sometime.”

Pearl smiles at her, it’s a little shy for Amethyst’s taste, but it’s better than her tight-lipped sadness from before, “Are you busy?”

Amethyst blinks at her, slightly unsure of what to say. Sure, she’s not busy, but should she say that to her employer is the question, “Um… No?”

Pearl’s hand on top of hers and she’s grinning, “Want to come out to dinner with me? I’m meeting an old friend, and I think you two would get along very well.”

That doesn’t sound too bad. How could it be?

“Sure!” Shit, was that too excited sounding?

* * *

When Rose sees Pearl walk in with someone who is not Lapis, she assumes Peridot won’t be allowed out for quite some time if Pearl has a say in it, she’s surprised. Pearl is amazing and very deserving of affection…  and Rose smiles. Oh, she’s always smiling really. At least when there’s nothing to make her frown, but this smile  has something different about it. It’s… eager. A little excited and a little scared, but eager.

“Pearl! Over here!” Rose waves her arms, laughing freely as the servers around her look at her horrified.

Pearl quickly makes her way over, and she’s smiling too with that eagerness. It reflects Rose’s smile and they both look happier together, “Rose!”

She’s quickly enveloped in a hug, “How’s my favorite human being?”

“Everyone’s your favorite!” Pearl allows Rose to squeeze, enveloping her in warmth and softness. Eventually, however, Paerl realizes people are staring and begins to feel uncomfortable, “Rose? We’re in a restaurant.”

“Oh right.” Then Rose drops her, and waves down the server to ask for another chair. She had expected Pearl to invite Lapis, and Lapis not to show, but she hadn’t expected this newcomer… who is literally wearing only purple. Perhaps she’ll like them.

“Pearl, introduce your… friend.”

Rose knows Pearl’s interests quite well, and she can’t help but assume… mainly because she just really wants it to be true.

Pearl blushes, “Amethyst, meet Rose. She’s the one that saved me from foster care. Rose, this is Amethyst. Our geologist.”

Rose looks her up and down, and then nods. She’s definitely Pearl’s type.

“Hey!” Amethyst grins, scratching the back of her head, “I didn’t know Pearl was in foster care. That’s pretty cool of you, went through a some time of that myself. It sucks.”

Then Pearl’s staring at Amethyst, with a softness in her smile, “I didn’t know that you were in foster care either. Obviously, we need to get to know one another better.”

Oh. Oh yes. Rose grins deviously, and then she clears her throat because the other chair is here and they should all sit down. With Pearl close to Amethyst.

“So how’d you two meet?” Rose thanks the server, turning to the two people across from her and trying not to show her emotions.

Pearl starts telling the story, waving her hands in the air at the mention of Garnet. Amethyst is blushing, smiling like a schoolgirl that’s met her first… crush… Rose might be a little excited at this prospect.

“And then, because of her thesis paper, which is a very fascinating read I’m telling you, I figured she was better than our current geologist… so I hired her and fired him.” Pearl shrugs at the end, like her giving a fresh student out of college a big job is nothing important.

Amethyst’s jaw drops, “You read my paper?”

“Oh yes! It was amazing Amethyst. It was half of the reasoning behind why I hired you, Garnet’s input was the rest. That… and you have a good personality.”

Rose giggles, “That’s amazing. Not really a story to tell someone out of.. .wait did you fire Marty?” And her eyes go wide.

“Yes! Thank the Lady I didn’t murder him.” Pearl murmurs.

 


	14. Blue and Lapis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet needs to find Pearl's notes

Rose isn’t sure what to think of the two of them. They don’t quite know one another, not yet, but they are obviously both interested. It’s like watching Pearl meet Lapis and Peridot for the first time. There is a standstill, a need to meet and discuss things, but at the same time a shyness about it. A dance to see who moves first, and Pearl has always been good at dancing.

Pearl’s a little hesitant, especially in front of her, but she doesn’t mind taking the backseat. She’ll be talking to Peridot about Pearl’s new friend soon enough, and she can wait to push Pearl along until then.

“So Amethyst, you were in foster care?” Pearl asks politely, but she’s gripping her water cup a little hard for someone who is trying to feign nonchalance.

“Yeah… for just a year until I hit the streets. You know how foster care is, how long were you in the system?” And Amethyst doesn’t hear what’s wrong with her statement. The idea of hitting the streets, the idea of being homeless, rings in Pearl’s ears.

“Until I met Rose,” And Pearl gestures at the woman absorbed into her menu. She and Amethyst sit closer together, on one side, while Rose sits on the other, “I never knew my parents. Apparently, my mother died in birth and my father left me in the hospital.”

“Yeesh, that’s tough.” Amethyst takes a sip of her water, looking at Rose and feeling something odd down the back of her neck. She doesn’t know why, but she thinks Rose is hearing every word of their whispered conversation.

“Why did you go into the system?” Pearl asks, but she can’t quite make eye contact and it makes Amethyst’s palms a little sweaty.

“Oh, um, family got deported. I was born here though, so in I go. Into that fuckwad of a system. Didn’t really mind, family was too big to care about someone as small as me. It was kinda like how if you didn’t have a job, you weren’t of much use yet. Ya know? I can understand that,” Amethyst mutters, “I can understand that.”

“Deported?” Pearl seems a little shocked, and her eyes are round with concern, “Why?”

“As much as this country pretends to care, if you’re half hispanic and half asian, you’re in the worst of both worlds and they don’t really care about you. Besides, it was Chicago. You know about that city right?”

Pearl gulps, “Yeah, that’s a tough place to grow up. It gets worse all the time from what Barbara says. Lives up to the nickname.”

Amethyst nods, but she’s tired of the denseness of the conversation. She wants to know what makes Pearl smile, what her favorite color is, the reason she wakes up and comes into work with a grin on some mornings and a look of mischief on others.

“So, Pearl,” the tip of her tongue tingles, “tell me, what is you favorite color?”

It’s a silly question, but Pearl laughs and she explains. Simple enough really, her laugh, and Amethyst thinks she might have gotten some approval from Rose in the process.

“Amethyst, let’s pick what we’re going to order, and then I want to know your favorite color. I’m guessing purple but assuming…” Pearl bites her lip, smiling before leaning in close to Amethyst’s ear, “Makes an ass out of you and me.”

It’s an old euphemism. From the early twenty-first century, but still used somewhat today. It’s funny, and charming, and Amethyst doesn’t mind at all. In fact, she cracks up and Pearl does a silent victory cheer.

Rose is staring at them in shock when Amethyst looks over, “Something wrong?”

“Nothing!” the exclamation comes quick, and Rose shakes her hands to put aside nervous Pearl’s anxiety, “I’m fine, really, just surprised at how little you know about each other and yet the closeness you share.”

Pearl just shakes her head, “Well, we’ve only known each other a couple weeks. You got your badge right?”

Amethyst nods, “Yeah, Pearl gave me a job and support in the workplace. She helped get my dissertation schedule moved up too. Pearl’s pretty awesome.”

Rose looks at her, and Amethyst thinks she’s said something right, because she winks, “I agree. You coming to visit Peridot with us after this?”

Pearl is hiding behind her menu, and Amethyst thinks maybe she should come, but then Pearl peeks out (where Rose can’t see and Amethyst isn’t sure why), “You can if you want, Rose would probably want to get to know you better.”

Amethyst wonders how much she’s blushed this evening, “Um, yeah. Sure.”

Pearl smiles at her, and she’s blushing probably as much as Pearl is when the server asks Rose if they’re ready to order.

“I’ll have an order of sushi, eel roll preferably,” Pearl murmurs, quiet enough that the server repeats back to her and nods when Pearl confirms it. Rose orders a steak, and as Amethyst realizes she doesn’t know what to order, Pearl is whispering in her ear.

“I think you’ll enjoy the pulled pork with crispy fries.”

As Amethyst says this, Rose looks at her suspiciously, “That’s Pearl’s backup, when they’re out of eel, she suggest that one?”

“Erm.”

“Yes, Rose, she’s never seen the menu before and I distracted her. I thought I’d pick out something she’d like and suggest it.” Amethyst sees a flash in Pearl’s eyes, almost like pleasure with how confident and totally not embarrassed she sounded.

If Rose hadn’t been smiling before, she was certainly smiling now, “Okay.”

It’s the exact same feeling Amethyst had when meeting Garnet’s parents.

* * *

 

Garnet was still working the main computer, it’s fully repaired despite the tech crew’s complaints that only Peridot knew what she was doing, and had fully restored the lost memory. Her notes, as well as Lapis’ notes, are fully programmed back into the simulator as they were before. The only thing left were Pearl’s notes. She has to leave to get those, perhaps look through Pearl’s office.

Nobody knew where they were at. The miscellaneous factors of landing on another planet’s surface were huge, anything and everything could happen. As of now, the simulation was sure to show that they would crash or die in two days. Garnet wasn’t about to run the program and find out.

“Has anyone seen Larry?” Lapis walks into Pearl’s office, holding the cracked computer Pearl had earlier, “I haven’t seen him since his bar run with Amethyst. Not that I’ve been around much, but I need to discuss a few ideas with him.”

“No, do you know where Pearl’s notes are?” Garnet glances up from what she’s doing.

The two had been skirting each other all day (really it was just Lapis avoiding Garnet, but in Lapis’ mind it was equal), and neither of them felt like confronting the elephant. It stood there, watching and waiting, but Lapis didn’t feel like touching it and Garnet wasn’t going to bring it up first.

“Haven’t seen them,” But Lapis… is clutching the broken computer a little close for Garnet to not notice. It’s visible, the cracks, and Lapis’ hold makes them a little larger… a little longer.

“Alright,” Now’s not the time to confront her. She’ll check into it, swipe the data, do something… but Lapis is currently leaving, searching for Larry, and she holds onto the broken computer like it might save her life.

Garnet has a feeling it just might.

* * *

 

**_ slightly earlier in the day _ **

* * *

 

Lapis had received a call that day. She’d gotten a call everyday since the accident, so why not today as well? It was nerve wracking, and terrifying… today, however, it was not Dr. Van. No. It was Blue. Blue who knew what she was doing, and was very disappointed in her. To say the least.

“So you’re working for Vanskelig? What kind of traitor are you?” Blue’s voice was like Lapis’, only slightly more domineering.

“Hi Blue, nice to hear from you too. How are the kids?” Lapis hums, sorting through the computer to see if Pearl had added her notes before waltzing off to see Rose. Of course she hadn’t, Lapis just felt that one of her best friends deserved the benefit of a doubt.

“Is this why you haven’t called in weeks? Months?! I had to get status updates from Rose and Pearl. Rose isn’t bad, I see us as equals, but Pearl? That woman has literally no sense of shutting up until she gets the explanation just right. I swear, she would stick her foot in her mouth in front of Zeus himself. Like seriously. I would make a joke about Zeus not doing his normal thing because of her talking so much, but that’s mean and I feel a little… sexist? I dunno how to explain it, but it feels wrong to say. Anyway, why the fuck haven’t you contacted me about this contract?”

“That’s good to hear! Little Moonstone doing well? How about Aquamarine? How the fuck did you come up with that name again?” Lapis continues her work, spotting an encrypted file in the mass of the engineer’s information. Which is odd, because only Peridot has permission to encrypt things… and that’s only things that the public can’t know like government positions.

“They’re both fine, I just chose things associated with the ocean. Now answer the questions god damn it,” Blue sighs, and Lapis can hear the moment she starts rubbing at her temples.

They’ve known each other a long time.

“Which questions? The ones about a contract I am contracted not to discuss? Those questions?” Lapis pauses what she’s doing and slides the telephone button off the screen of her phone and into a hologram created in the air. It sits, just a few seconds, and then Blue accepts her video request.

Blue’s older, her hair has a few greys, and she looks worn. She looks like she’s gone through just about enough, but she’s only in her forties and can’t even think about retiring yet, “Do you know how much of an idiot you are?”

“Just about,” Lapis goes back to work on the computer, pulling up the encrypted while and seeing if she can do some of Peri’s magic.

“Your contract literally states you can’t talk about your contract?” Blue steeples her fingers, leans back, and stares Lapis down.

“More or less,” Lapis glances between the computer and Blue, but doesn’t let Blue’s disappointment in her stop what she’s doing.

Then, Blue is at her own computer (the latest model, a holographic kind that can be installed via a tiny chip to just about anything with a camera), typing away with a small smile (on the latest model keyboard that’s also holographic, and Lapis is forced to recall a conversation with Pearl over the subject of having physical things to type on), “While I don’t really like what you guys do, it’s whatever really, I’m not about to let an opportunity to hold something over your head just float on by.”

Lapis snorts, “What we do is advance our future as a species. Earth’s overflowing… government is well…. government… what would you want us to do? Stand idly by while a quarter of the world gets a modern age and the other three-quarters squanders?”

Blue snorts right back, “Pearl is only interested in space, Peridot is a follower who takes orders… you… you’re just a loyal friend. Rose was the one that gave your quest purpose. Then she goes off, gets married, get a promotion into GSA,  gets a fuckin’ kid… that one blew everyone’s mind… and leaves poor Pearl all alone to handle this big ol’ mission herself.”

Then they stare at each other for a solid minute, eye contact made and glares exchange.

“Stop deluding yourself Lapis, at least fuckin’ admit why you’re here. You’re here because you can’t go home, because you have no home, and you don’t want to be alone. You’re here, on this fucking mission, to be with your friends. Don’t lie to me. And I won’t lie to you. Deal?”

It’s not like that isn’t true. It’s been there, in the back of everyone’s mind. Garnet is here to do something she loves, Pearl brought her in because she also loves space… Amethyst followed Garnet for the same reason Lapis followed Pearl and Peridot.

“Maybe I should make friends with Amethyst, we seem to have a bit in common,” Lapis mutters, glancing at Blue, but not answering what was asked of her.

Blue grunts in acknowledgement, and then Lapis opens the file. She whoops, and Blue gives her a questioning look, but Lapis is more distracted by the idea that Peri actually taught her something.

The file… is her contract. Signed, sealed, and dated. Her signature is right at the bottom. If Peridot had come back and Lapis hadn’t noticed…

Lapis sends it to Blue, no regrets, no hesitance… just sends it. Why not? Blue’s there, telling her truth more than anyone else generally does, and it re-encrypted itself anyway. Then, again without hesitance, Lapis deletes the entire file from all their systems. All of them.

“Shit, Lapis, … if you… if you need something like that… why would you tell me? I’d have helped you. **_Shit_**.”

Lapis can’t take the pity in her eyes and hangs up, and then heads out to Peridot’s little alcove of computers. It’s out of the way, and only really known by Pearl and Lapis. It’s a nice little place she can control the entire lab from.

She double checks the systems from Peri’s alcove, runs diagnostics like Peri would, and then reboots certain subsystems just as Peri had told her to do if anything happened to the main computer core. It was a little complicated, but Lapis could handle it. She enjoyed it, learning from Peri felt nice.

Then, just as she is about to leave, she spots the cracked computer. It made sense really, Pearl knew the first thing Peridot would do when she came back was come here. She’d see the computer and would fix it…

But Lapis wanted to try her hand. See if she could do it, so she pick it up and checks the files. It’s an older model, with a glass screen that wasn’t designed to spread out the information. It was based off models from 100 years ago. Inside, the files are older too. In folders that are represented by icons rather than code, and Lapis has to snort. Pearl enjoys the older things.

A little folder catches her eye, and, without giving much thought, she opens it. While Pearl and Peri have a good relationship when it comes to personal space, Pearl and Lapis had always been a little… finicky about it. Pearl sometimes wanted permission to be given before and sometimes she didn’t care. Same with Lapis. It was more a ‘you’re one of my favorite people, so I’ll trust you to know when I need to be touched’. Peri didn’t understand this concept, but Pearl and Lapis didn’t mind it.

The folder is the encrypted file. Slid off of the main computer, stashed inside an older model, and named something inconspicuous. Lapis feels herself start hyperventilating.

 

 


	15. It all comes out and A Hologram

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose visits Peridot in the hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter, due to the end of STevenbomb, and I have a sister's birthday party to attend so I couldn't spend as much time and rather than detract from the quality, I just took from the amount. Hope you don't mind.

Garnet goes after that computer. It’s going to be in Lapis’ hands, of course, but there are secrets coming to light. In Pearl’s desk, she’d found some things. An old invoice, on paper no less, a signed statement. Things that didn’t add up. She’d also found a really expensive medical bill that either belonged to Pearl, or to someone she loved. It was odd, how much Pearl kept in hard copy format, but it was almost a good thing that she wasted some trees… Garnet would never have known about what was happening.

She takes the short cut, across the center of the building and down two flights, to come to Lapis’ main office. Each person in charge of a section had an office, most existed on the same floor to keep things just better for everyone. Lapis, however, wanted hers surrounded by water.

One look inside the room revealed a nice desk, not expensive looking but elegant and fitting in the environment, with nothing else but glass walls that held back a ton of water and fish.

And a grandfather clock that had no time, just arms and noise.

Lapis sat in the center of the room, her hands over her ears and her whole body rocking. She wasn’t crying, just rocking. Just… rocking and cringing like her whole head hurt.

“Lapis?” While first having come in to steal a computer, shove something down Lapis’ throat, and then get that information to where it needed to be… Who could hurt that being on the floor?

“Pearl’s going to hate me. She must already hate me. I mean, has she told Peri?” The words flow, and Lapis looks up at Garnet with hollow eyes, “I…. they’re my only home. I’m sick of being trapped, being jaded and left alone. Years of fighting, years of being ordered around like some stray pup needing coddled. Years of work, schooling, college, side jobs that didn’t matter… and they were always there. They are my home.”

On the floor, as Garnet kneels to take in Lapis’ full condition, a hologram shows a contract, and Pearl’s reaction to it. All of it recorded neatly on the inner workings of a cracked computer that had been ripped open… the hologram appeared to have been set to go off if someone took the computer apart.

Pearl was not smiling, not moving… the hologram was paused.

* * *

 

Pearl and Rose chatted the entire way to Peridot’s room. Amethyst hung by them, listening to their conversations and getting a laugh every once in a while. Sometimes, when Rose mentioned something that made Pearl’s face fall, she felt protective. She felt… the need to fight Rose. But that wasn’t a good idea.

She nudged Pearl and grinned at her, Pearl gave a half-hearted smile back.

“Oh it’s so good to see the hospital doing well,” Rose nudged Pearl and winked at her, Pearl grinned back, “Have you been helping with the prosthetics? I know you make great ones for Peridot.”

“Occasionally, when they need something custom built for an organ or some other sensitive part. I generally stay out of it though, prosthetics are expensive.”

Rose nods, agreeing, “Good idea.”

Pearl blushes under the attention. Barbara is signing at her, asking what’s going on and just who Rose is… well Pearl is busy, so she just tells Barbara she’ll tell them later and that they’re on their way to see Peridot.

Both are slightly confused about the situation.

Amethyst gets a few coos from those around her, the nurses laughing and waving when they see her. but she sticks to Pearl, sliding her hand down her pant legs every once in a while to rid them of sweat.

Peridot is sitting in her room, typing away on a computer.

Pearl is instantly furious, “Peri!”

The computer vanishes in a puff of holographic smoke, “What?” She asks, innocent and smiling. Rose giggles.

“Good to see you Peridot, Pearl and you still getting along?”

The room is silent, the exchange bringing something of a standstill and Peridot glances between Pearl and Rose before responding, “I, um, yeah?”

“Why wouldn’t we be getting along, Rose?”

Amethyst skips over and flops down on the edge of the bed, bouncing up and down, “Yo! Peridot-a, how’s the new arms? I heard Pearl got you some, G told me.”

And the spell is broken, the tension released and Pearl laughs, “Peridot’s legs are also prosthetics, so if you wouldn’t mind…”

The small being covered in purple does a handstand and flips off the bed, “Yeah, yeah. That’s cool. Does that mean you can like… lift a thousand pounds? What about bench pressing?”

Amethyst asks more questions, and Peridot’s face contorts. She tries to suppress the laughter, but then Pearl is sliding onto the bed beside Amethyst while giggling and hiding your laughter while a best-friend doesn’t is simply silly.

“Oh god, Amethyst,” Pearl manages, “What in the world are you talking about? No, that’s not how prosthetics work.”

It calms her, and she flips around and plops down hard (Peridot wants to mention that Pearl is on her foot and Amethyst is crushing her leg, but she doesn’t feel more than a little pain. Apparently, while making sure she could feel, Pearl had turned on pain sensors. Peri might have been able to live without those).

Pearl scrunches her nose and laughs, and Peridot sees something in her look that reminds her of the first time they met, “Prosthetics work by allowing gripping and walking for those that have had their limbs removed. It allows movement, not strength. Unless every muscle involved in an action has been replaced by something that can handle more of a load, she’s still not going to be able to pick up heavier things. She has her normal strength that she’s developed in her shoulders and chest.”

If Peridot hadn’t known better, she would say that Amethyst had already known that, “So while the prosthetics are able to handle more weight, my non-robotic parts have to be able to as well. Though, I’m pretty strong if I do say so myself.”

“You literally carried my couch with minimal help,” Pearl rolls her eyes, a small smile as she winks at Amethyst, “And you’ve carried Lapis over your shoulder.”

“She was being an idiot! Fighting Jasper is idiotic at best, suicidal at worst.” Peridot huffs.

“Oh no! Jasper wouldn’t have touched a hair on her head and you know it.” Pearl is pointing a finger, smirking.

Amethyst interrupts, “What about finger strength?”

Pearl pauses in her banter, putting the pointing finger to her lips and humming, “I suppose that would be stronger depending on the settings. But I programmed the arm to be that of a normal human being.”

Peridot grunts, “Well I may have messed around with the settings a little.”

“Of course you did.”

Rose watches the interactions, seeing the way Pearl is relaxed and open. She’s carefree, and that’s really all she’s ever wanted for the small one.

* * *

 

Lapis vaults at Garnet, over the computer, through the hologram, and with the strength of a monster. Her fingers wrap around Garnet’s shoulders, pinning her down and her knees are used to keep her legs from moving, “You can’t tell Peridot! She won’t understand. You can’t tell her!”

Garnet waits, just long enough until Lapis’ nails begin to dig in, before throwing the small body off of her. It takes effort, Lapis’ grip that of a robot, but once she’s detached, Lapis’ lands several feet away from her and Garnet scrambles backwards, “What?”

She stands, both of them stand, and Lapis’ breath sounds ragged. Worn, to the point that she stands with dropping shoulders and a manic laugh, “I’ve lost my family.”

Garnet presses play on the hologram.

“Lapi-” It freezes, going in and out for a second. When it comes back, it is a perfect image of Pearl, hands crossed and a serene smile, “Lapis.”

Lapis scrambles to turn it off, “I can’t, I can’t know how Pearl will react.”

Garnet holds her off, long enough to hear the next sentence, “I love you as family, you and Peridot both.”

She stops struggling, going limp in Garnet’s arms.

The hologram pauses, looking hesitant, then continues as Pearl would. Brief stutters, short bursts and sticking her own foot in her mouth more often than not.

“Hey, look. I read the contract. I still love you, you’re still my family. That fact… the fact that you wanted to hide this? The fact that we know each other because of some contract… or in the very least that’s why you furthered our friendship? It hurts,” The hologram begins to cry, “I can’t imagine what college would have been like without you, or how today would be… without you. How could you do that?” and now she sounds angry, bursting at the seams, hands fisted and brought down against her sides while her knees bend and she practically screams, “How could you do that? We love you!”

Lapis recalls how earlier in the day, she’d been so cold to Pearl.

The hologram calms down, and one hand wraps around the other arms elbow, “I haven’t decided how to respond to this. It’s hard. You betrayed us, you betrayed Peridot… you betrayed me. And I just… I don’t know. We’re going to this college, the one in town, to do a seminar or something. I haven’t been able to bring myself to talk to you about it. Maybe I won’t, maybe I’ll get you work. Maybe I’ll send you false reports. I haven’t a clue.”

Lapis’ chest hurts.

“I don’t know when, but I’ll eventually have to tell blue. The ASG aren’t friendly you know. I… just don’t know anymore. What would Rose do?” the hologram sighs, shaking out her hair, “I don’t know. I don’t know what she would do. Maybe I should ask, but I… I don’t know how she’ll react and I don’t want you to get in trouble. I don’t know what I would do without you around.”

The hologram continues.

* * *

 

Rose and Pearl leave Amethyst talking to Peridot, and Pearl is pulling her aside, into a private conference room, and she’s talking rapidly, “Rose?”

* * *

 

“Look,” The hologram’s face hardens, “You’ll face punishment, but you won’t die. I’ll take care of you. I…” She swallows, and her face softens, “I have an MD. Okay?”

The world is falling down as Lapis’ is dumped out of Garnet’s arms and into the floor, “She’s got a lot of degrees.”

“She has a lot of dedication,” Lapis mutters and stands on her own, no longer willing to turn off the hologram.

“I’ve been working on a medicine for you. It’s not the best, not as good as what you’re on currently, but it gets better every day. Okay?”

Lapis responds to the hologram, “Okay. Pearl, I trust you.”

“Anyway, better quite recording soon. You now how holograms generally don’t work when it’s me using them. It’s why I use older tech. Heh, wonder what Peridot would say if she heard that. I have to go.”

The hologram zipps itself off, folding inward and disappearing before Lapis can say anymore. Garnet stands by, watching, waiting, and then Lapis turns to her.

“I’m sorry, I was emotional. I won’t attack you again,” She’s brushing off her skirt, and dust flies everywhere. The computer beeps a few times, electric sparks coming from it as it dies.

“I believe you,” Garnet responds, watching as Lapis walk over to her desk and sits in her black, comfy looking, chair.

She places her head in her hands and groans, “She was so understanding.”

“Yes, she was.”

Lapis looks at Garnet, and then she starts laughing. While not sure how to respond, Garnet is sure Lapis can’t handle the current of emotions she’s feeling.

“You okay?”

Lapis sighs, wiping a tear away from her eye and then grinning, “I’m fine. Just fine. Now then….”

She stands and her hands are on her desk, pressing against the wood while she looks at Garnet, “How well can you swim?”

“Very.”

A trap door opens up beneath Garnet and there is no time to move or dive out of the way, she’s falling down. It isn’t a long drop, just long enough that she disappears into the water below. It’s a few seconds, not that Lapis is counting and holding her breath, before Garnet resurfaces sputtering.

Lapis breathes out slowly, and calls down, “Tell Larry I said hi!”

She stands up to leave, clicking the button that closes the door with relish. Lapis crushes the computer with her heel as she leaves her office. 


	16. Lapis and Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of last chapter

Blue sat at her desk and read over the contract. Once, twice, three times before she settles back and rubs at her temples. The contract… is quite explicit. There’s no loopholes, or ways out. It’s a simple black and white. The fine print is simply more instructions about what happens should the contract be broken.

The fine print involves something Blue never wants to face. She and Lapis had been together for a long time. Friends, family even, but there had always been a business like quality to their conversations; it made sense now, given the contract that glared at her from the computer sitting a mere foot away from her hand.

There weren’t many things for her to do. She could watch as Dr. Van slowly realized what was going on and cut off ties to Lapis, leaving the poor oceanographer for dead, or she could pull some strings to prevent Dr. Van from finding out. 

Her fingers twitched as she resisted tapping against the desk. It was… a bad idea to make noise right now. A man, someone she was well aware didn’t work for her, stood out her door with a listening device. Leau, her secretary, had informed her of his habits not too long ago when he’d gone and swiped something from her desk. After following him to Dr. Van’s office, Leau had gladly informed Blue of what was going on. Her secretary was usually the quiet type and avoided talking when she didn’t have too… so Blue always took her words seriously.

Blue picked up the phone and dialed a number.  
_______________________

Rose stands stunned as Pearl fidgets and continues to explain the way her people are being pulled apart. Lapis is going one way, Larry has disappeared… and Dr. Van has been sticking her hands into Pearl’s work.

Then her phone rings and Pearl covers her ears and leaves the room so Rose can have some privacy. 

“Rose?” It’s Blue, her soft voice speaking quietly. 

“Blue, hello. I was just talking to Pearl so excuse if I’m a little distracted.” Rose rolls her free hand down her dress to try and rid the shake that’s affecting her fingers.

“Ah, yeah. Well I got something to discuss with you. And you’re not going to like it.” 

Rose has always trusted blue, but she feels like Pearl beat Blue to the punch.  
___________________

Lapis calls Dr. Van. She’s always been told to call if something new comes up… but she’s never had the courage to call first. This is spiraling out of control and she doesn’t know what to di.

“Dr. Van?”

The deep voice of her boss echoes over the receiver, “Why hello, glad you called me first because I’ve heard a little birdy discovered your contract.”

Lapis isn’t sure how she could possible know that, but she’s already dealing with this and if she doesn’t know that Blue knows, “I don’t know how, would you like me to do something about this?”

“You sound so business like. This is good. Time you finally took things seriously. Come to my office, you’re not going to pretend to work for Pearl anymore. It’s time you took responsibility and stayed with me. I think that’s fair considering little birdy probably would pull you from the project anyway.” Dr. Van sounds concerned, but harsh. Judgmental is how her voice comes across, and Lapis feels hollow.

“Yes ma’am.” There are no words to convince Dr. Van and she’s come to accept her fate. No matter how much she trusts Pearl, there’s no escaping her contract.

“I’ll send Ruby. She’s a soldier so don’t run away.”

Static plays in her ear and she waits for the vehicle that will take her away from home.

It takes half an hour, and the woman that picks her up is short. She’s fiery and sharp tongued, putting Lapis down as she tells her to get in the car. The woman drives too fast, swerves too hard, but Lapis sits quietly without saying anything.

It’s several hours to Dr. Van’s place, but the woman manages to cut it down to just a couple hours on the highway. Her friends will notice she’s gone soon.  
________________________

Rose and Blue discuss what to do, how Lapis should be treated. Blue mentions some kind of blood disease and Rose resists mentioning Pearl’s M.D. If Blue knew, she’d have to force Pearl to work for the hospital and no one wanted that. 

“Look, this medicine Lapis is on? It’s essential she stay on it. So maybe, just maybe, we can work out a deal with “wears all yellow” and no one gets hurt. Leau is good at finding dirt so if the worst happens we can bribe her into getting her nose out of our business.” Rose hears the panic is Blue’s voice.

“What medicine is it?” Rose paces the room she’s in, biting at her nails while their conversation continues.

Blue mutters, “I have no idea. Lapizomium? Could be named after Lapis seeing as it was specially designed to deal with her immune system.”

Rose grunts, “Sounds like it was designed to force her into only taking that one. She can’t switch?”

“Experimental drug. Can’t avoid it, we don’t know what’ll happen if she is taken off something like this. It sounds potent.” Papers can be heard on the other end of the call, and Rose has to wonder how much Blue has in on her desk.

“Wait, I might… just know someone I can bring in.”

“Someone you can trust?”

If Blue had been in front of her, she’d have given a wink, “Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! We're getting into more background of the world and such. I'll try to update once more before my semester begins, but I can't guarantee anything. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even if it was rather short, and I'll talk to you later!


	17. Pickaxe going down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis and Dr. Van meet in person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Another chapter before school! This one is super important for the characterization for Dr. Van.
> 
> "You're at rock bottom? Well you can only go up from here!"  
> "You underestimate me. I've brought a pickaxe and I'm ready to dig."

Dr. Van was waiting in a large office, covered in yellow. Lapis wondered if simply the presence of blue would turn everything green. Peridot would find this humorous.

“If it isn’t my favorite Lapis Lazuli.” Dr. Van smiles wide, her teeth are too white and too large to look natural. Her fingers are laced, resting on the desk.

Lapis stands in front of her quietly; her hands stretched behind her, clasped, “Dr. Van.”

Dr. Van tuts, “So serious. Welcome to ASG head quarters. You’re our newest member. Usually, we don’t let… commoners? Is that the correct word? Whatever, the 95% rabble in, but you work for me. And I am… let’s say important.” Her voice is always measured, always calm. It settles into the room, not echoing in the large space but falling flat against Lapis’s ears.

Ruby leaves when Dr. Van waves a hand in her direction, “We’re alone now. Speak your mind, get it over with so I don’t deal with your bullshit later. Go on.”

“I hate working for you, I despise your methods, I would rather die than be doing this but not actually so I’m stuck here. Working. For. You. It’s quite distasteful.” Lapis is stone-faced, her lips moving with her eyes holding steady, keeping eye contact with Dr. Van.

Dr. Van smiles again, but it’s a little less forced and a little more natural. She seems to take actual amusement in the on goings of Lapis’s speech. “Oh my, I love someone who states their mind. Welcome. It’ll be fun to have you.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic.”

“You can leave now.” Dr. Van clicks a little button on her desk, bringing up a holographic video call. “Gul Perle?”

The person on the other end nods, “Yes, Dr. Gul Vanskelig?”

“It’s amazing how we have the same name. Anyway, show this Lapis to her new workstation. Make sure she’s got everything she needs to move and work to achieve our goals.”

The person in the hologram video call disappeared, and a buzz took her place. Dr. Van did not do anything rid the room of the noise, “You work for me now.”

“I always have.”

“Correct.”

Gul Perle leads Lapis down a long yellow corridor, with small branches of blue spreading out towards a different area, “Does Blue have an office here?”

The person, as tall as Pearl but with shoulder pads and an uppity air in her posture, snorts, “As if. The Blue branches are for medicine research. Blue works for the GSA, not the ASG. So please. Don’t make such egregious statements ever again.”

Lapis remains silent along the hallway, until she’s shown her office. It’s small, but pink, with a small desk lamp and a stack of paperwork on the desk. There’s a bookshelf with a few books, and a painting of a lion on the wall, “Um…”

“Belonged to a woman named Rozë Brilant. She was a wonderful woman; no one knows what happened to her. Some think the office is haunted. Anyway! Ta ta!” The person leaves with a snicker, and Lapis feels cold.

She takes a look around, assessing the various informational books and codex’s to be seen. There’s one on growing flowers, one on hour to befriend deer. There is even one regarding the growth of a mineral Lapis has never heard of before. She’s sure Amethyst would be able to tell her, but for now she’s stumped. Eridium, sounds so alien that Lapis is intrigued to know more about it.

She leaves it alone for now, scanning the rest of the room. The stack of papers on the desk is actually for her. It’s her contract and the papers that are attached and detail the fine print. It’s a short contract, and there are other papers as well so Lapis isn’t surprised when she finds some of Rozë Brilant’s things. One talks about Rose… Rose Quartz. Pearl’s Rose. The Rose that didn’t take the name of universe but gladly gave it to her son, the Rose that Pearl idolized and swooned over. That Rose.

That Rose used to work for the ASG. It made sense really, with how the ASG operated. They scoop up as many 1%’s as possible and dump everyone else onto the streets to survive.

Why had Rose left Assholes Saving the Globe? You couldn’t just LEAVE, there had to be a reason.

Lapis searches through the room, and finds a secret latch. It’s on the side of the bookcase, and it—

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Gul Vanskelig tapped her pencil on her desk as she looked out her window. There were many people afraid of her, and some should be, but this one… this one wasn’t as afraid as she should have been

She smiled. She always enjoyed a challenge. This one was given her old friend’s room. This friend had been something dear when they had been alive, but Dr. Van doesn’t care. They’re no longer alive; at least they can serve a purpose in death.

Time to call an old friend.

She dials another computer using her own, waiting only a little bit before her caller answers. “Well if it isn’t Blue!” Her voice has a sharp undertone to it, a bite that would go amiss on a random bystander.

Blue was no bystander, “Why hello Vanskelig. Something I can do for you?”

Dr. Van laughed, loud and fake, “You should tense. Something happen?” Dr. Van’s eyes flash with mischievous delight, enjoying the way Blue’s face scrunches up and the small let down of realization.

“You have her already huh?”

“Blue,” Dr. Van leans forward, her neck appearing longer from this angle than any other, “She’s been in my pocket since day one. Learn to play the game.”

The call is cut.

She leans back, composed, breathing through her nose to prevent gasping for the breath she wants. Blue is so…. Mind boggling to talk to. Even short conversations end up with her heaving with relief that it’s over. Whatever shall she do about little Lapis though?

Rozë’s story will reel Lapis in, the true Lapis that will be the best worker of them all, but what will spark that determination? What will force Lapis to see that she much do this, and her death isn’t the only thing at han-

Hand. Oh. Oh yes.

Dr. Gul Vanskelig smiles, slowly.

Oh yes indeed.


	18. Traps and Escapes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet, Lapis, and Peridot are trapped. Just not in the same place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. It's been quite a while. 
> 
> I am so sorry.

  
Quick steps, long strides, and strong muscles propelled her forward. Each step was longer than the next; it almost looked like she was running to the people who she passed. Her orders were clear. Arrive on time, present the problem, then leave on time.

Except she was late. Of course, she was never late. People knew that, people appreciated that. Yet, here she was, working for Dr. Van, and utterly late.

“Hello, sorry I arrived late. There was an incident in my office. People, I'm here today to introduce Dr. Van's latest ideas.”

Before she could continue, she was interrupted, “Lady, who are you?”

“One, I'm not a lady. I do not identify as male or female, so please do not refer to me with such binary language. Two, I'm Dr. Van's latest hire. Please be quiet.” She sighs, today is going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Larry is sitting on a stool, by a fireplace, in a room with two red chairs and an odd painting. “Hi Doctor, how are you today?”

“What's going on here? Haven't you tried to get out?”

“Little hard really, no exits.” He looks up from his drying binder and shrugs. “You can sit down by the fireplace to dry.”

Garnet shakes her head and sits down by the fire in a chair. Lars is sitting in the other, “Don't worry, there's food and I haven't been down here long.”

“Why did Lapis trap us down here?” Garnet also motions for Lars to turn around and he nods while doing so. She slips out of her shirt and out of her binder. The shirt goes back on almost instantly and her black one is placed by his white one.

“You can turn back.” Lars does so with a nod, “Exactly how many people has Amethyst helped with the whole binder thing?”

Garnet shrugs, “Many, she's always advocating for people to be themselves. Men, women, people who are neither, people who are both... people who might be a little bit of one but not the other... she wants them to be able to be comfortable with their bodies. I support her. I wish the same thing. So she carries around links to various online stores.”

Larry is looking at her like she's said something awe-inspiring, “There's more than just binders?”

Their next conversation gets a little more exciting.

“You ever heard of a packer?” Garnet winks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The phantom pain is back. She can feel her toes, she can feel her skin... but she can't turn off the pain. Clenching and un-clenching her fists, she rocks back and worth and wishes Pearl wouldn't notice. If Pearl noticed... she'd have to deal with more than just pain. Pearl messing with her prosthetics would be awful.

She winches and stretches out her arm. Stretching takes effort, but after being in bed for several days her body desperately needs it. The door is locked, so no one can come in, and she sighs after the pain lessens.

Peridot didn't understand why the pain that would come and go. Medically, it wasn't supposed to be there. The doctors all told her it was imaginary, and she believed them. That didn't mean it didn't exist. These prosthetics helped.

The bed creaked under her weight when she slid back underneath the covers. Better, this felt better. She ate the berries that sat by Pearl's uneaten jello. Oh, it was her jello... but she didn't eat jello. She always gave it to Pearl.

Speaking of which, where had Pearl and Rose gone?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garnet began to look for a way out. Pearl would know where to look, because Pearl knew Lapis better than anyone who wasn't Peridot. Larry jumped up when she waded into the water and looked up at the hatch.

“Doctor!” She turned to look at him. “Can you pick me up... onto your shoulders?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lapis finished on time, leaving the people behind her stunned at her the brief meeting. It had been 10 minutes at most. She's back in her office. The bookcase sat, waiting for her to do something. So she sat as well, in her office chair, and stared at the various letters that were written in gold ink.

Green books were on the bottom shelf. Those were about various plant life and the origin of the universe. It was an odd little shelf. Above that were blue books, and above that brown books. On the side of the shelf holding the brown books was the lever Lapis had found. It sat as well.

The bookcase, Lapis, and the lever sat in silence.

Lapis stood. She walked over to the bookshelf. She stood in front of the bookshelf and pulled out a book, reading the inside cover an then putting it back. She reached for the lever. Hesitation kept her from pulling it again. Of course she now knew what was behind the bookshelf, and it was interesting. It hadn't scared her, simply left her stunned.

She pulled the lever and slipped behind the bookshelf with a sigh. On the other side was a room fulled with paper. It was stuck to the walls, was littering the table, was even crumpled up and thrown in a waste basket that sat in the corner. Each piece of paper had Rozë Brilant scratched in the bottom left corner. Rozë had researched in this room. Why had she hid this?

The equations were far beyond Lapis's ocean based mind. This wasn't water, but space. Twisted, molded to the previous office owner's whim. Pearl would be impressed.

There were also letters to the GSA detailing the plans of the ASG. Lapis had a feeling those were as sacred as the numbers swirling around the pages.

Lapis began searching the room more thoroughly. The first time she'd been in here she'd been investigating why a bookshelf would have a lever on it. Now she was investigating Rose and Rozë. The two weren't related, but their names suggested otherwise.

Rose also had papers in the room. None of them were math related, but all of them were GSA related. Money transfers, discussion of ASG's involvement in their business. So, as far as Lapis could understand, Rose had never been working for the ASG. Rose had been working for the GSA this entire time.

A 1% was working against the ASG. That was noble. Also stupid, if anyone found out Rose would be bankrupt within the month it became public.

 


	19. Pearl and Garnet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl has a breakdown
> 
> (Also, since I was awful and didn't post for awhile, I'm going to post more often).

They discovered that as soon as Larry touched the hatch, a ladder was designed to drop down. While Garnet held her breathe and waited for Larry to climb up, she thought about Lapis. This place was probably designed as a swimming pool or aquarium. Lapis turned it into a trap. Garnet had to wonder why.

Larry called down to her and she slowly worked her way up. The ladder wasn't as sturdy as she would have liked, but she flipped herself up and over the edge with a sigh. The hatch slammed shut.

“Why would Lapis do that? We've worked together for years and she's never seemed quite so...” Larry struggled to find the words as he panted over his knees.

“You alright?”

He shook his head, “Sorry, I've never been great at exercising.”

She nodded and stood, glancing around the room as she did. Lapis was gone, the lights were off, and silence spilled over the edges of the doorway, flooding the room. The only thing Garnet could hear was Larry recovering from the climb. A grunt escaped her and she investigated the hallway.

Garnet turns and nods to Larry, “We should leave before the alarms go off.”

“Why would the--” He stopped himself and shook his head, “Okay then, let's go.”

As they leave, Larry spotted Garnet's phone on the ground and hands it to her, “Better keep this, yeah? Not all of us can afford the fancy ones.”

A look passed between the two of them. The left, Larry had to jog to keep up with Garnet's powerful strides.

“I need to get to Pearl, Larry get home.” He was about to argue when Garnet raised an eyebrow and he paled. With a nod, they parted as they got out of the building.

Garnet's car was still there; she sighed with relief. The ride to the hospital was short, and Garnet gripped the steering wheel like a vice the entire time.

Pearl smiled when Garnet stepped into Peridot's room.

“How is she?”

“Oh she's fine! She's resting. Turns out her new prosthetics will take some time to get used to. I told her to take it slow, but she never listens.” Pearl shook her head and laughed. “Rose left before she said bye to Peridot. I hope Peridot doesn't mind. I know they always get along.”

Garnet said nothing, just watched as Pearl grabbed Peridot's hand and rubbed it with her thumb.

“I hope she likes them.”

“I'm sure she loves them.”

Pearl hummed.

“Can we talk?”

She turned to Garnet, squared her shoulders and stood. “Is it bad news? Because I've had enough of that.”

Garnet said nothing.

“I figured.”

Peridot's fingers twitch when Pearl left, and Garnet closed the door to prevent the slam from waking Peridot.

They stood outside Peridot's door. Garnet had never had Pearl's intensity directed at her, she swallowed, “Lapis--”

“Are you going to tell me about Lapis and Dr. Vanskelig?” A eyebrow twitched.

Silence.

“I know. I know all about it.”

Garnet reached and offered hand for Pearl to hold, “I know. Lapis... Lapis left. Lapis saw your message and left.”

Pearl's face scrunched, “I don't...”

“Lapis is probably with Dr. Vanskelig right now.”

Tears began to fall, “But I told her I forgave her... I don't... we can't lose Lapis. She-- We... we need her. I don't understand.”

Garnet let Pearl squeeze her hand, even if the grip turned out to be a bit too tight, “I don't get it. We were happy. Lapis laughed and we were building and we're approaching out goal. We've been together forever. We've... she can't leave us. She can't.”

“I'm sorry Pearl.”

Pearl slammed a closed fist against the door, “She can't leave us!”

A startled Peridot let out a yelp. Pearl was still using her free hand to grip Garnet's hand. “Pearl.”

“No.” She pulled away from Garnet, her hand let go as well. Garnet watched as Pearl's mind shut down. First, her fist returned to her side and relaxed; next, her breathing returned to normal. There was a hitch, then nothing more. “I won't let her leave us like this. We love her, and she loves us.”

“Pearl--”

“Thank you, Garnet.”

Pearl marched away, disappearing before Vidalia could come around the corner with a panicked expression. Garnet froze for a moment, then she went after Pearl.

~~~~~~  
Peridot sat in the room, waiting for Pearl to come in and explain herself. Instead, it was Vidalia, asking HER what happened. She had no idea.

“Where's Pearl?”

Vidalia looked puzzled, “I don't know. Did she leave? You were asleep for a while.”

“That must be it.” Peridot didn't believe that; once Peridot had awoke, Pearl never left without saying something. Or at least, that's what Peridot thought.  
~~~~~~

“Pearl.”

“Garnet, leave me alone. I'm getting Lapis.” Pearl's march was as fast as Garnet's speed walk.

“Pearl you can't. You're going to--”

Pearl whipped around, forcing Garnet to stop or hit Pearl in the chest. “Garnet. Speak or forever hold your silence.”

“I think Lapis believe that if she stays with you, someone is going to get hurt.”

Pearl was silent for a few seconds, “Explain.”

“She went back to Dr. Vanskelig. She wouldn't do that willingly if she had any other choice. You're right. She loves you.”

More silence before Pearl shook her head, “We're her family.”

“You are.”

“What are we going to do without her?”

Garnet offered both hands to Pearl, who took them and gave a slight squeeze, “You'll finish the shuttle.”

Laughter rang out, infectious laughter that had both Garnet and Pearl giggling.

Garnet wiped shook one hand loose and wiped away a tear from Pearl's face, “You'll finish the shuttle,” more giggling passed between the two of them while Garnet continued ,”and then, you'll get Lapis back. After all, that's what this is all about right? The project?”

Pearl nodded, “Yeah. Yeah it is.”

Garnet smiled and paused, “Pearl?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you need me to help you get back up to Peridot?”

Pearl sighed, “If you would.”

When they got back, Peridot was walking around the room. Pearl sighed.

Garnet thought Pearl was going to be mad, but then Peridot hugged Pearl, tight, and the atmosphere of the room relaxed. “You're not supposed to be walking.”

Peridot flexed her arms, “You kidding? I'm stronger than ever.”

Amethyst bounded into the room and wrapped around Garnet's neck, “Are we going home? Like, Peridot can walk right? That's good enough in my book.”

“Amethyst, when did you get here?” Pearl looked between Vidalia, who shrugged, and Garnet, who also shrugged.

Peridot squinted, “Are you wearing my sash?”

The only response was Amethyst hurriedly leaving the room.

Garnet did a waving motion, “You saw nothing.”

Peridot moaned, “That's my favorite sash.”

“Is the doctor clearing you?” Pearl ignored everything and focused on Vidalia.

“No, the doctor has not cleared her yet. You need to get back in bed.” Vidalia came forward and offered a hand, “It's important to rest your body.”

“That is very true. However, it's also important to finish work and think of family and friends. I am well rested. I feel good, I have people who need me. There are many things Allah considers important, and one of them is family. I must agree.” Peridot turns to Pearl and makes the closest approximation to puppy dog eyes that Garnet's ever seen, “Pearl?”

Pearl groans, “Fine. I'll get the discharge papers.”

“Let's get back to work! I wanna make a shuttle!” Peridot winked at Garnet.


	20. Steven and Greg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl gets a phone-call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right. So I'll be updating every Sunday I'm thinking. That gives me time around school and lets me go "I gotta update!" rather than wait... six... months. Yeah.
> 
> Every Sunday guys.

They worked. It was the little things that helped. Lapis was off somewhere, which Pearl had yet to tell Peridot about, but they had other friends supporting them.  
  
Garnet knocked on Pearl's door frame. Pearl looked up from the paperwork she was working on and grinned, “Why hello, is this business or pleasure?”   
  
“I was wondering what you were up to.”   
  
Pearl hummed and waved a hand at the stack of papers waiting in a box labeled 'to do'. “Not doing work for any extended period of time comes with consequences.”   
  
Garnet moved into the room and peered at Pearl's hand writing. It was loopy, cursive, and looked like a font you could get on a computer. “That's your handwriting?”   
  
Pearl snorted then immediately covered her mouth with wide eyes, “Um, yes.” Ink smeared across her cheek.   
  
“Why are you doing it on actual paper? Paper stopped being common use 50 years ago.” Garnet knew the answer but wanted to hear it from Pearl.   
  
Pearl shrugged, “I like the act of actually writing. Watching ink leave marks and seeing my name slowly form beneath my hand... it's calming.” She looked up at Garnet and leaned forward, putting her chin in her hands. “So what actually brings you to my office?”   
  
“And I thought I was the perceptive one.” Garnet winked, “Nothing actually, I was just waiting for Peridot to finish something and this was the closest stop.” Garnet crossed her fingers in her mind, hoping Pearl believed this excuse.   
  
“Alright, but tell Peridot she shouldn't keep you away from work. We're trying to finish this fast, efficient, but we're also keeping quality as number one...” Pearl's business voice came into play and Garnet smiled.   
  
“Pearl.”   
  
She stopped and blinked at Garnet, “Yes, Garnet?”   
  
“I understand.”   
  
“Oh.” Pearl sat properly in her seat and cleared her throat, “Sorry, habit.”   
  
Garnet shrugged and leaned on Pearl's desk, enjoying the blush across Pearl's cheeks, “I understand.”   
  
Pearl cleared her throat again, “Well I, um, better get back to work.”   
  
Garnet leaned forward and looked at the paper's contents rather than Pearl's handwriting this time. Her afro brushed against the top of Pearl's hair. She heard Pearl gulp. With a tsk, Garnet pulled back and winked at Pearl, “You do realize writing personal stories doesn't count as “paperwork” right?”   
  
“That's-- You-- I wasn't!”   
  
Garnet left the room.   
  
When Garnet left, Pearl sat unmoving at her desk and let her brain catch up with what happened. Garnet was sweet, and nice. Pearl smiled to herself, thinking about stepping out with Peridot at lunch and inviting Garnet along. Amethyst would want to come too, but Pearl didn't mind that either.   
  
A call interrupted her thoughts. She picked up the phone and slipped into her business persona with ease, “Hello, This is Dr. Huitre. Questions about the shuttle progress can be directed to the GSA. Job applications can be sent to my email, and any questions about science can be directed--”   
  
A man cut her off, “Pearl! I need your help!”   
  
After frying her brain with Garnet, Pearl felt her brain begin to melt, “Greg?!”   
  
“Yeah! It's me!” Greg sounded older. She heard Steven in the background, probably playing with toys.   
  
“Look, Greg, Rose isn't in my office. I don't know wh--”   
  
He cut her off again, “I don't know where Rose is. But I had something happen and now I gotta work out legal stuff. Think you can have me and Steven over for a little bit? I promise I'll stay out of your way. You have room right?”   
  
Pearl let her head hit the desk with a thud.   
  
“Pearl? You okay?”   
  
“Yeah, Greg. I'm just having an aneurism.”   
  
Greg shuffled something on the other side of the phone, and then quieted Steven, “You should get that checked out.”   
  
Pearl groaned, “You don't say.”   
  
“Look, I know you don't like me that much. But you always loved Steven. Please.”   
  
She ran a hand through her hair and puffed up her cheeks, “That's playing dirty, Greg.”   
  
“I know.”   
  
At least he was honest about it, “All right. All right. You can live with me for a while. But you have to sleep on the couch. And you don't come to my work. And--”   
  
“Pearl. I'll do whatever you want. I'll be there tonight.”   
  
“Alright then.”   
  
The line didn't end, so Pearl could only assume Greg was waiting for something else. “Greg?”   
  
“Sorry, I'm just... I'm relieved. My truck got towed when I went into “Darkey's” to get lunch, and when you got a little one with you it's harder to find a place to stay. I couldn't get in contact with Rose... Thank you, Pearl.”   
If anyone asked, Pearl would refuse to admit she smiled, “You're welcome Greg. If you had said those things from the beginning, I'd have said yes right away. I don't hate you, you know. I never did.”   
  
She hung up.

  
~~~~~   
  
Peridot hummed while working. It was one of those things she didn't notice until someone pointed it out.   
  
“You're humming.” Amethyst bounced her legs against Peridot's desk. While irritating, Peridot didn't mind someone hanging out in the computer room. Quite a few computers had died and Peridot has to get to the heart of the problem to fix it. “Why do you do that?”   
  
“I don't think about it, it just happens.”   
  
Amethyst was quiet for a few seconds, “Are you religious?”   
  
Peridot stopped what she was doing and looked at Amethyst, “Yes.”   
  
“So,” Amethyst's fingers twitched, “Can you tell me about your religion?”   
  
What was happening to the world? It was nice to be able to talk to Lapis, but Lapis was not here... Who knows? Maybe Amethyst would be interested to hear these things.   
  
“Of course.”   
  
An hour later, with one computer fully repaired and a lively conversation to keep Peridot moving, the job felt less tedious.   
  
“That's cool! So like, your religion basically is like “Parents gotta chill with their children, you can't just leave them alone”?”   
  
“I suppose that's one way to phrase it.” Peridot laughed.   
  
Amethyst was playing with a rubber band, “Thanks for telling me about it. I always like learning about new things. Religion is one of those things that is unique to everyone. Even if its the same religion, ya know? I dunna why, but it's so cool.”   
  
“Well,” Peridot stood up to begin fixing a larger computer, “Do you ask everyone these kind of questions?”   
  
Amethyst shrugged, “Yeah, I guess.”   
  
Peridot watched Amethyst for a few seconds before returning to work, “Did you get your doctorate?”   
  
“Yeah, it was easy. Rock people are cool. They're like “This is what you think about rocks?” And you go “Yeah, that's what I think about rocks. Here are my theories about what COULD be true but who knows.” and then they go “Nice theories, you're a doctor.”” Amethyst shrugged, “I may be a failure in some areas, but I rock at rocks.” The wink made Peridot laughed.   
  
~~~~~~

  
  
Greg stood on Pearl's doorstep, little Steven standing beside him, and Pearl smiled.   
  
“Hello Greg.”   
  
“Hello Pearl.”   
  
They stood across from one another, and the seconds started to pass by them.   
  
“Come in.” Pearl opened the door wider and stepped aside. She went out behind them and grabbed the few bags they had. While heavy, it was well within Pearl's strength to carry.   
  
“I was always impressed by how much you could carry. It must have taken me 12 years to carry those up here.” Greg scratched the back of his head and smiled. He made a few sounds that might have been laughter, but then just sighed, “I know this is going to be tough for you. I promise to stay out of the way.”   
  
Pearl stood with the bags and shook her head, “Let's not tiptoe around one another, you're staying here. It's fine Greg, just be yourself. And clean up after yourself.” A pointed glare was directed at Greg, “If I find one half eaten sandwich on my bed, bad things will happen.”   
  
Greg actually laughed this time, “I gotcha Pearl. I can do that.”   
  
Pearl smiled, “Good.”   
  
Steven looked between them and laughed.   
  
“What a cutie.” Greg and Pearl said in unison, after which they exchanged awkward looks and Pearl retired to her bedroom. This was going to be a long, long night.   
  
The next morning, Pearl woke up to Steven sitting on top of her and smiling. If it had been Lapis, Pearl would have thrown her off with a disgruntled “please”. Peridot would get a slight shove and a sigh. Steven... got a hug.   
  
“Hey Pearl! Dad said not to wake you but with everything going on, I didn't get to say hi when mom was here!” Steven was young, and she'd always thought of him fondly. Even when Rose and Greg … well. “Steven, get off me. I have to get up.”   
  
He quickly jumped down, “Dad's making waffles.”   
  
“Ah.”   
  
She walked into the main room and tilts her head when look at the coffee table. It's covered in paperwork, but Greg was sitting at her counter with waffles, reading the morning paper.   
  
“Greg, what's this?” She picked up a piece of paper, written to him by an insurance company. Except it wasn't a bill.   
  
Greg looked up from the paper and swallowed. “That's kinda why I panicked. You see... Marty--   
  
Pearl cut him off, “He contacted you? Did he try to talk to Vedalia or Steven? You didn't let him did you?”   
  
“Pearl! Pearl!” Greg made a hand motion Pearl took to mean 'Calm Down', and she took a deep breath. “No, he used my name on some stock options. Apparently that money he stole from me to pay for college? The money he used to pay your boss into getting hired? Grew because he invested it so he didn't have to steal more.” Greg sighed, “And he used my name. Apparently he did more than steal my money, he stole my identity.”   
  
Pearl paled, “How much do you owe?”   
  
Greg made another hand motion, “I don't owe anything! In fact, I'm rich. It's just a lot of paperwork and all my accounts are frozen, even my normal ones, until I get this all sorted out. Which is kinda why...” He muttered the last part of the sentence beneath his breath.   
  
'”Greg.”   
  
Steven popped up by his dad and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Dad and I will need to stay here for longer unless you get his van.”   
  
Pearl laughed, “How about I do both? Steven. Help your dad clean up this mess. Also, Greg?”   
  
“Yeah?”   
  
“Do you need help with your paperwork?”   
  
Greg's smile brightened the entire room, and so did Steven's, “Thanks Pearl.”   
  
Steven whooped, “Told you, Pearl's awesome.”   
  
Peridot had been in the hospital, Lapis had left, and she was tempted to ask Garnet out but couldn't work up the courage. All of that, however, paled in comparison to Steven calling her awesome.   



	21. Lapis and Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis finds something interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is supposed to post Sunday (I queued it I think).
> 
> If not, you're getting a chapter early! Have fun. I'm going to college. 
> 
> *winks*

“What do you mean Rose isn't here! She just gave me Steven a couple days ago! Then I sorta left town but now I'm back! She should be here!” Greg was stressed. Pearl understood the reasoning, but Rose was a nomad. They both knew that.   
  
“Greg, I would also love Rose to be here. But... I also have to accept that she's not. I always want her to be here...” Pearl thought of what Lapis would say, “Sometimes we can't have everything we want, even when it comes to those we love.” She fought the urge to cry that built in the back of her throat.   
  
Steven grabbed Pearl's hand, “Pearl's right dad. Mom's not here, and that's okay! We'll see her next time.”   
  
Pearl ruffled Steven's hair, “You're always right Steven.”   
  
He beamed at her, and then turned to his dad and waited on the balls of his feet. Greg sighed, “Yeah, I suppose you're right. Come here cue ball.”   
  
Steven hugged his dad.   
  
Pearl bit her lip, a thought passed by and she snagged it before it flew away, “Would you two like to see what I do at work?” Oh she'd said Greg wasn't allowed near her work, Yet, this felt different. Steven's smile spurned her forward. “I'll show you some of Peridot's computer designs.”   
  
'Peridot is there?” Steven turned to his dad and put on the charm, “Can we go dad, please? We haven't seen Dot in forever.”   
  
“You're the only one who would ever get away with calling her that bud.” Greg smiled while responding, “Of course we can go.”   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Lapis was back in her office. The dirty work for her employer generally involved haggling with poor to moderately wealthy people. This involved scamming them out of their money (which Lapis was very good at circumventing), and convincing them to support the organization (Lapis was very good at circumventing this part of her job).   
  
The insurance companies were all on ASG's side of the situation, which wasn't a surprise, but Lapis hated reporting to one when Dr. Van wasn't around. They were all snakes. Especially the one that sat on the other side of her desk.   
  
“Look, you're not making enough money for this organization. We need you to start being more convincing, be more charming. Use your assets.” He wasn't blinking.   
  
Lapis made a face at him, “Like this?”   
  
“No! Please be serious. We need to get your numbers up or you're going to be fired.” His suit looks like it was pressed against him. Perhaps it had been ironed with him inside. Was he invulnerable to heat? Lapis let these thoughts distract her from his gaze.   
  
“Well that's not going to happen. I'm permanent.” She winked at him.   
  
“No one is irreplaceable.” He raised his nose at her while raising his shoulders and narrowing his eyes.   
  
“I am, just try and fire me. I'd like to see the look on your face when YOU'RE the one that's fired instead.” Lapis leaned back and propped her feet up on her desk.   
  
He scowled. “I don't have that authority but Dr. Vanskelig does.”   
  
Lapis made a sound that existed somewhere between the mating call of the extinct blue whale and the dodo bird. “Which is why I'll be here! Waiting for Dr. Van to scowl at me instead of you. Then she'll smile that cold smile with the dead eyes. Then,” Lapis pulled her feet down and leaned forward, “She'll leave. She won't fire me, she won't punish me. I may be here by force, but if you try and break your pawn you end up with an occupied spot that you have to work around. Ever played chess?”   
  
The man shook his head.   
  
“I've played. I play against Pearl. Perhaps you know Dr. Huitre?”   
  
The man nodded.   
  
“She's a damn fine player, never managed to beat her... but there is one thing I can do. Make her pawns useless. How do you make a pawn useless you might ask? Well,” Lapis grinned, “You just put something right in front of them. Perhaps another pawn. Then, you sit back and watch as they try to get that obstacle out of the way so they can use that pawn. I'm that pawn. Dr. Van doesn't want me blocked. You know why a pawn is important?”   
  
The man began to wilt in his chair, and shook his head again, “No, pawns aren't important.”   
  
“That's where you're wrong. What happens when you get a pawn to the back row of your opponents side?” Lapis winks, “It becomes whatever you need it to be.”   
  
After another few minutes of conversation passed, and then man left, shaken. He held his briefcase close to his chest and scurried fast. Lapis watched him leave with amusement. She sighed and relaxed. Her shoulders felt tense, but she rubbed them against the back of the seat and they warmed up properly.   
  
What else could she do today? Her productivity was shot due to snotty pants. She pondered for a while. The ceiling had a nice texture, and she stared at it while her mind went to odd places. She could hack Pearl’s cloud for information, but that seemed a little devious. She could work on the paperwork Dr. Van requested. Or not. She really didn’t like doing work for Dr. Van.   
  
Then it occurred to her that the bookcase was right there. The lever was as tempting as always, hidden in a little spot that she could see perfectly from her desk but people coming in the room wouldn’t be able to see. It was so bothersome.   
  
What other things could she discover by going through those papers?   
  
She flicked the lever and waited as the bookcase moved silently to the side. The papers tempted her, called her, and she dove right in. The bookcase closed automatically behind her with a click. The papers were ruffled from her last visit, some out of place and on the floor. Pearl would have a fit if she saw this room.   
  
The thought of Pearl made Lapis smile.   
  
Lapis looked for the papers that mentioned Rose specifically. She didn’t care about the other person; Rose was the person connected to Pearl therefore Rose was the one that mattered.    
  
After searching through the papers with a meticulous eye, Lapis found a few interesting facts. Rozë was best friends with Dr. Van.The two used to work together on projects until something major happened. Lapis assumed it was Rozë’s death, but there was a suggestion otherwise in some papers where Rozë talked about her inability to accept what Dr. Van had done.   
  
Lapis ignored these things and looked for information on Rose. Miniscule things cropped up, some on work and others on adopting Pearl. These papers were too old for Lapic to think they had any value.   
  
Then… a yellowed paper, with gold embroidery around the edges can up. It was at the very bottom of furthest stack of paper from the bookcase. It had Pearl’s name scrawled across the top but the rest was smudged and faded beyond recognition. Lapis grunted. Rose was the sentimental kind, no one needed a birth certificate. It was useless in this day and age.   
  
As Lapis went to set it down, Lapis noticed Pearl’s last name was on top of paper less yellow than the rest. As if… hmm. She placed it on the table and leaned over, trying to determine the cause of the discoloration.   
  
She sneezed and the paper flew off into the darkest corners of the room. Damn, dust strikes again. She shuffled around the papers on the floor to reclaim the missing paper.    
  
She tripped, falling headfirst into a pile of papers that were covered what Lapis hoped was dust. A cloud of papers shot upward and covered Lapis in debris. Coughing, Lapis began to shove the papers in a pile to make it easier to step around them.   
  
In the next pile over there was a piece of paper that looked far newer than the rest. Interested, Lapis abandoned her still messy pile and picked up the paper with a flourish.   
  
Oh.    
  
“Dear Rozë,   
  
I’m sorry it had to come to this. I wish you best in your next life.    
  
We all had to do things for the greater good… and I had to do this.   
  
Please, understand. Death is not the end.   
  
~Rose.”   
  
Lapis sat down and stared at the paper, seeing if maybe there could be another meaning.    
  
  



	22. Lapis and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis sneaks her old work place for answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize it's 9/11 for the Americans on this website and I'd like to extend a note of sorrow and compassion. If you need something, just let me know.

Steven was a wonderful boy, and Pearl was really hoping he’d stop touching everything in his sight. They were catching up but if he kept accidentally causing things to fall over, she was going to have a heart attack. Greg was right behind, shrugging his shoulders and unsure of how to approach the problem.

 

“You gotta stop touching the electronics cueball. What if you break something? Pearl would have to rebuild it.” Greg gave a small smile to Steven, who returned it with a grin.

 

Steven scratched the back of his head, “Sorry, I’m just really excited. I’ve never seen Pearl at work before. Where’s Dot?” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lapis peered around the corner to see Steven and Greg talking to Pearl. Pearl was happy, smiling. She’d always adored Steven. In fact, Lapis couldn’t say who Pearl loved more: Rose or Steven. Steven was like a son to her, and he was a son to Rose. It had provided conflict when Pearl and Rose disagreed on Steven’s care-taking.

 

It was the only time the two of them had ever fought.

 

It was five minutes before Lapis felt safe dashing across the corridor and sliding under Pearl’s desk. If there was any more information on Rose, Pearl would have it.

 

She looked through the papers on Pearl’s desk, organized by due date and length of entry. Some were concerning part shipment and ordering. Other’s detailed the progress on the shuttle and the various jobs associated with it. Lapis didn’t care about those. She search in the desk drawers. There was an old rubber band ball. There was a picture of Pearl and Steven, Steven wrapped around Rose’s neck. It had been awhile since Lapis had seen that one.

 

A picture of Pearl, Lapis, and Peridot was just underneath it. A picture of a slumber party Rose had taken as the three of them watched scary movies and hid behind the couch. Pearl and Lapis hadn’t been actually scared, but pretended to be so for Peridot who found the lightest scary of movies horrifying. And Peridot refused to watch gore.

 

It made sense, if Lapis was honest with herself.

 

There were pages of work, and pages of relaxation. Everything was digital in the modern world, but Pearl preferred paper with the hover pen she’d bought when she graduated high-school.

 

“It reminds me to be myself.”

 

Lapis had never understood that.

 

There was nothing here for Lapis to find, so she snuck out and tried to make her way to Peridot’s lab.

 

She had to avoid her entire team in order to get to Peridot’s side of the building. Garnet and Larry were certainly out and about again, and Amethyst would be working here full time. So…. She would have to slip between the cracks.

 

Pearl knew this building best. But Lapis knew the secrets the best. There was a closed off vent that stretched between Pearl’s desk and the main lobby. She crawled into this now, glad she wore pants rather than shorts or a dress today. The path was long, and it hurt her knees, but she wouldn’t be seen.

She spilled out into the lobby and glanced between the front desk and the door. Everyone in the room was turned away. While relieved, she was still in the middle of everything and she scrambled to get away.

 

Only one person gave her a funny look, but everyone else went about their business without even a second glance. She slipped into another vent and grabbed her chest, as if to still her beating heart.

 

This vent led to the shuttle room. It was a little risky, but it was preferable to taking the vent that went to the bedrooms.

 

The shuttle room was empty. It’s an odd day when no one is in the shuttle room. That means it’s either down for maintenance or everyone is off somewhere, preparing to bring something to the shuttle room… or it could be everyone was out to lunch. Lapis highly doubted that one.

 

She sprinted across the room and smacked into a man. He wasn’t tall.

 

“Lapis?” Oh shit.

 

“Who?” She smiled, and then frowned. It was Lars. “Shit.”

 

He shook his head at her and sighed. “Look, I can be a jerk. I know that. But… you ruined my favorite binder. Haven’t gotten it to work since. It was the one Amethyst bought me, man!” He pouted at her and she’s reminded of little Steven.

 

“That’s what you’re mad about.”

 

He nodded, “What else would upset me?”

 

Lapis stared at him for two more seconds before jerking a hand behind him to indicate where she needed to go.

 

“Oh, right. Have fun stealing information.” He turned and stepped around her. “Oh and Pearl’s currently in Peridot’s office with Steven so you might wait a minute.” When she whipped around to talk to him, he’s already gone. She grumbled and headed off once more.

 

She threw herself into the next vent with force, her body thumping against the metal with a painful slap. A wince, a stretch, and a rub at her side make her realize she needed to calm down. She brushed it off, however, and continued on her way. This vent lead her to the hallway that was directly across from Peridot’s office.

 

It’s amazing how fast someone can transverse the building when the vents are used accurately.

 

She ran into Garnet. Literally, her entire face bounced off and caused a headache. What is Garnet made of? Rocks?

 

Lapis looked at Garnet from her position on the ground. Garnet smiles. She offered a hand and Lapis took it because she’s not going to get up any other way. Garnet crossed her arms afterward.

 

She stayed silent for a few moments, and then gave a thumbs up before doing the exact same thing Lars had done. Lapis was getting more upset by the minute. She used every ounce of will in her body to prevent her feet from slapping down against the floor to create thunderous stomps.

 

Pearl and Steven were in Peridot’s office. Lapis dove into the nearest vent, one that didnt’t lead anywhere and certainly wont help if they saw her in the first place, and listened.

 

“What do you think Steven?” Peridot is obviously smiling by the tone in her voice. Lapis knew that  voice anywhere. It was the same one that she had after Pearl had given her the first set of prosthetics.

 

“It’s so cool! Thanks for showing me, Dot! You’re the best.” Steven was definitely grinning in this moment. If she was completely honest with herself, she had to admit that Steven was always smiling.

 

Pearl was quiet for this interaction. She barely spoke, only replying to Steven with soft answers. Lapis couldn’t hear any of them, but Greg’s came through loud and clear.

 

“Look at that! That’s so cool! How’d you build that.”

 

Lapis could hear the smug, “Carefully.”

 

“Peridot.” Pearl snickered, “That’s not nice.”

 

The moment continued and Lapis curled up in her vent. She rested her head against her arms and listened.

 

“Steven!” Pearl laughed, “Careful! Don’t break anything.”

 

Steven giggled and, if Lapis could determine what was going on, she’d say that Pearl had picked him up and ruffled his hair. Peridot giggled as well.

 

She should be in there, with them. With Steven and Peridot. With Pearl… she should…

 

She began to cry. It wasn’t the first time she’d cried since getting drafted by Dr. Van, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last.

 

Eventually, the happy family quieted and they left Peridot’s office. Lapis waited a few minutes longer than she needed to, then she glanced out into the hallway. No one was coming, and no one was in Peri’s room. She slipped inside.

 

Peridot had all of Pearl’s digital files stored in a computer. Pearl had all files backed up, and all back ups had back ups. It was redundant, but Pearl had never lost a paper and had never been yelled at by a boss for being unorganized. If Pearl had hidden a paper file somewhere, the digital file would still be in the computer.

 

Of course the computer would be locked, but Lapis could wait until she got back to her secondary apartment given to her by Dr. Van that was literally five feet from the ASG building. Lapis even missed getting up in the morning and getting out Peridot’s breakfast.


	23. Pearl and the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is Pearl so passionate about space?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's sunday!
> 
> It's a little shorter, but packs more of a punch.

“And when the world began to fall, she stood above the people and declared peace. For the mighty Princess was the best ruler in all the land.” Pearl finished the story with Steven curled up against her, his hair in her face and tickling her nose. She wasn’t comfortable, but he was. He was happy and snuggled in, and she wouldn’t give this up for the world.

 

She remembered when she was younger. When she was actually a child, and Steven was a baby. It felt like yesterday and yet… it also felt like she was decades beyond that point and in another life. In a way, she was; this thought came to her as she remembered Steven’s age and her own.

 

A chuckle escaped her. How old was Steven? She hummed and stroked his hair, thinking of his first birthday.

 

* * *

 

_Rose grinned at her almost every second of every day. Her hair bounced, and Greg played with the curls when they were falling asleep. Pearl watched, feeling her stomach twist and her mouth form a scowl. It was hard, she couldn’t help it. Why was she like this?_

_Why could her heart break so much?_

_Steven giggled at her from behind the torn apart couches. She sat in front of him and tilted her head. He tilted his head to match. She loved him. And a part of her hated him. But… she loved him. She loved him with her entire heart._

_Angsty teen adult, that’s what Greg had said. He’d said this in the back room, while Rose and him were washing laundry. Most people who were rich got fancy machines, but Rose preferred to do things by hand._

_“Remember Pearl, the instant you stop putting yourself into your work is the instant it becomes someone else's.”_

_Pearl scoffed and Steven replied with a sound that wasn’t quite a scoff, more like a cough. She wrinkled her nose at him, her eyes bright as he laughed. Rose wasn’t here, so she knew she wasn’t faking these emotions. They were there, whether she wanted them or not._

_“Pearl.”_

_Pearl jumped and looked at Rose. “Yes, Rose?”_

_Rose was grinning, she was always grinning. “Steven’s birthday party is in the back. Wanna come?”_

_Her heart skipped a beat. This was Rose, and this was Steven. She … she had been going to stay inside to spite Greg. Yet, Rose…_

_“Of course.”_

_Pearl gasped when she followed Rose outside. The world was gorgeous. Stars sparkled, Steven attempted to waddle without falling, and there were lights strung up across the trees and bushes; little bugs flickered their presence and pies filling the air with a delightful smell._

_“Isn’t it Gorgeous? I have a friend, named Blue, who helped out.” Rose laughed, “I can’t remember if I introduced you two.”_

_Pearl could only smile in response._

_Steven slammed into her shins and smiled up at her. “Pearl,” he said with an open mouth._

_“I can’t even get him to say “mommy.”” Rose laughed, “I knew you two would get along.”_

_Pearl picked up Steven and went into the party to celebrate his birthday._

* * *

 

“Pearl!” Pearl slammed upward in the bed, realizing only too late that Steven had been laying against her and was sent sprawling into the bed. Fortunately for her, he was a heavy sleeper and was blissfully unaware of his loss of warmth.

 

Greg scratched the back of his head, “Sorry, I just need some help with these papers. Figured we could do them while Steven was sleeping.”

 

Pearl shook her head, “Of course, I’ll be right there.”

 

When Greg left, Pearl stood up and sighed. That had been a pleasant dream of pleasant times, when they had all been together under a roof and Steven wasn’t so far away. Another sigh escaped her as she searched for a spare blanket. Her spare wasn’t large, but it would help Steven with his shivering.

 

She left Steven to his sleep once he’d been covered up. Greg waited for her in the kitchen, paper work on the counter and a confused look on his face. With the past stirring her mind, she couldn’t help but think that ten years ago, she’d have enjoyed the confusion. Now, she just felt hollow. 

 

* * *

_The party was over, Steven was asleep, and Pearl was cleaning up the backyard._

* * *

“Pearl.” Greg  leaned onto his elbows and met Pearl’s eyes with his own, “I need to say something.”

 

“Yes Greg?” Pearl raised an eyebrow while she continued her paperwork. “You usually say these things anyway, I’m a bit surprised you're attempting to precede it with something.”

 

She winced internally at her choice of wording, but let it slide.

 

Greg seemed to blank for a few seconds, “I.. uh…”

 

“Greg?” Pearl put down the papers and waited for him to come to grip with what he needed to say.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Pearl blinked.

 

“When I came into Rose’s life… I ignored you and focused solely on Rose. I made you feel like you weren’t part of the family. And when Steven came along… I didn’t treat you like a kid. You were still a kid, and I treated you like an adult. I’m sorry. If that hadn’t happened… I uh…” Greg tried to continue speaking but Pearl put her hand on Greg’s forearm to stop him.

 

“It’s okay. We both messed up. In more ways than one.” Pearl gave a light squeeze, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about space, it’s that even if someone makes mistakes, mistakes that take years or months to get over, somehow it all comes together in the end. If dumb luck is involved. And Steven.”

 

Greg laughed loudly, hand slapping his chest. He calmed down a few seconds later and sighed, “Thanks, Pearl.”

 

“You’re welcome, Greg.”

 

Silence settled as the papers continued to exchange hands.

 

“What made you want to go to space?” Greg asked, his voice muffled by a pen in his mouth.

 

Pearl snorted, “I always loved space.”

 

“Yeah, but…” Greg shook his head and spat out the pen, “One day you just… you got all passionate. You were determined and even started looking at colleges. Before you loved space, but you loved dance more. Now… it’s the other way around. What happened?”

* * *

 

_Rose approached her in the middle of cleaning up and offered a hand, “You’ve done enough, Pearl. Let me help.”_

_Pearl rolled her eyes and grinned, “Alright, Rose.”_

_The work went by and Pearl’s hand brushed Rose’s occasionally, sending little electric shocks up to Pearl’s brain. She enjoyed this._

_“Pearl.” Rose looked at her, a look filled with curiosity and a little excitement. Pearl would know that look anywhere._

_“What do you want to show me?” Pearl winked and Rose burst out laughing._

_“Let’s go to the hill, I want to show you something I’ve never shown anyone else.” Rose grabbed her hand and dragged her through the woods. Sticks and branches smacked the both of them. Leave blocked their paths, and small mice scurried away. Rose wasn’t heavy on her feet, but in the forest of crunching leaves and thick trees… only Pearl stood a chance at being silent._

_But with Rose tugging her along, Pearl could only stumble to keep up._

_“Come on, Pearl! We’re almost there!” Rose shouted at the top of her lungs, and Pearl felt  terrified of the find rushing past her ears._

_“Where are we going Rose?!” Pearl shouted above the wind, and Rose laughed in return._

_“Somewhere you’re going to love.”_

_Pearl did love it. It was a little hill, in the middle of the forest where, if Rose had decided to leave Pearl alone, she would get lost the instant she stepped away._

_Rose held both of Pearl’s hands once they reached the top, and Pearl was spun so she faced Rose. Pearl couldn’t remember Rose being quite this tall._

_“Pearl.”_

_“Yes, Rose?”_

_“Look up.”_

_Pearl’s breath left her in a rush and she was left with her mouth hanging open and her chest breaking from the beating of her heart._

_Stars. Thousands upon thousands, beautiful and multi-colored, so many that Pearl could barely think of counting them all._

_“Aren’t the stars beautiful? Don’t you wish you could touch them?” Rose’s fingers curled into hers, “I always wanted to see the stars.”_

_Pearl only tore her eyes away when Rose tugged at her hand, “Rose.” Pearl spoke, her breath leaving her with barely any room for words, “Why did you want to show me this?”_

_“I wanted you to see why I fight for people. The stars are beautiful, just like every person on Earth. Eventually, I’d like for us to reach the stars.”_

_Pearl nodded in agreement. “I think I’d like that too.”_

* * *

 

“No reason Greg, I just… saw the stars one day.” Pearl smiled at him and he felt a chill down his back. He couldn’t say why.

 

There was a knock on the door.

 

Pearl stood, careful of the papers that were jammed against her torso, and made her way to the door, “Yes?”

 

The door swung open to reveal Garnet.

 

“Pearl, let’s go on a date.”

 

Pearl looked confused, “What? I mean yes, but what inspired this?”

 

Garnet’s hand grabbed hers and then Garnet was kissing the back of her hand and Pearl felt like passing out.

 

“Okay.” Pearl nodded and Garnet nodded in return.

 

“Uh, guys?” Greg looked between Pearl and Garnet, who looked back at him in confusion, “If you’re going to go on a date, you should either go now or tomorrow. It’s getting late.”

 

Garnet nodded and dragged Pearl out the door. Pearl barely had enough time to grab her phone and shoes.

 

“Make sure Steven sleeps and if he wakes up don’t give him sweets and –“ Pearl was cut off by the door shutting and Greg laughing.


	24. Dates and Computers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis does sneaky things. Pearl and Garnet have a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH, sorry about the delay and stuff. Had a test last week on Tuesday so I forgot to post Sunday.

Lapis had plugged a chip into Peridot’s computer. The chip was simple in design and meant for transferring files, nothing else. Peridot had the best security anyone could have, but Lapis had passwords and usernames, everything anyone would ever want if they wanted the files on the project and the current projections and progress going on.

 

The base had been left behind when Lapis had returned to Dr. Van, her sigh of relief upon shutting the office door and welcome one. Being around Pearl, around Peridot, had made her chest ache.

 

She connected to her bug via her own computer and looked through Peridots files. Peridot was an organized mess. Things were sorted by what made sense to a programmer, but to Lapis it was a jumble of mismatching documents. Lapis grumbled and wished that, just this time, Peridot had been a little more transparent when it came to the information on her computer.

 

After digging through files, the ones on the project finally came up underneath a folder on funny space facts. Maybe Peridot did these things on purpose, just to mess with anyone trying to go through her computer.

 

The files were standard issue, a header and footer signifying the business and company. There were small details here and there dictating how certain forms should be used. Many forms were about budgeting and time commitment, one had the names of all the employees (updated recently to include Garnet and Amethyst while striking off Marty), and there was a form on Pearl’s obsessions about the project that would need to be addressed. Un-official, designed to go to Blue, the small paper was the reason why Lapis knew never to let Peridot get an idea in her head about a person. She trusted Blue way too much.

 

Lapis sorted the files. Important ones in one folder, excess in the other. She was supposed to give this information to Dr. Van… but Lapis had a better idea.

 

She clicked through the folders and papers, looking at the information with a more keen eye. More details popped up and Lapis smiled.

 

Lapis felt a little happier with this idea in mind.

 

* * *

 

Pearl and Garnet were on a date. It was an interesting date. Garnet took Pearl to little restaurant, out of the way and a hole in the wall, that served sushi. Pearl’s favorite food. Pearl was a little surprised by the sudden change in Garnet’s behavior, but she doesn’t mind it the slightest bit.

 

Twenty minutes into dinner and Pearl’s had a glass of wine, “Okay, okay, so favorite moment of “Danger In Chicago.”

 

“Parody or real one?” Garnet raises an eyebrow, her smile contagious to everyone around the restaurant.

 

“Parody, no one watched the real one. Are action movies even popular anymore? I think they died out 50 years ago.” Pearl sips at her club soda.

 

Garnet sips at her whiskey, “Definitely when they rob the bank.”

 

Pearl giggles, “The bank huh? I liked the pirate ship.”

 

Garnet holds a hand to her chest, a small gasp escaping her, “Unacceptable. I need reasoning. That scene was terrible.”

 

This time Pearl gasps, mocking Garnet’s mocking, “That scene was a masterpiece. The music, the expression, the billowing of the sails… the crew…” Pearl looks off towards the corner of the restaurant with a dreamy look.

Garnet smirks, “You just like Captain Jack.”

 

“Do not! I love the scene.” Pearl blushes, her cheeks bright red, “Captain Jack has nice hair, and amazing legs, but she’s not my type.”

 

“What is your type?” Garnet asks, leaning forward and swirling the alchohol in her glass. She’s not in the mood for alchohol anymore.

 

Pearl bites her lip and Garnet inwardly sighs, “I mean, I like uh…”

 

Garnet waits.

 

“I like smart woman.” Pearl nods.

 

“Captain Jack was smart.” It’s true, Garnet thinks, Then Garnet remembers Captain Jack in more detail. “Captain Jack was gorgeous.”

 

Pearl’s blush spreads to her collar bones, “I like…” There’s a flash in her eyes, then a small smile. It’s a soft smile, and she sets down her glass. Her finger traces the top of the glass and she sighs, “I like you. You’re funny, and intelligent. You like space... I like space.”

 

Garnet felt her face flush.

 

“I haven’t known you for that long… but I’ve worked beside you, and you’ve been with me through Peridot and Lapis’s troubles. In the background, quietly exerting a calming presence. You don’t feel the need to take charge if you know someone has taken care of it. I like that. I…” Pearl pauses, “I like you.”

 

“I like you too.” Garnet reaches forward and takes Pearl’s hand, “Let’s go watch a movie.”

 

Pearl laughs, “Let’s watch Danger In Chicago.”

 

* * *

 

The paperwork was filed and Lapis smiled. She went back to the altered documents, quickly tapping save before anyone could see the originals. Peridot’s files would be fine, just the one’s on Lapis’s computer would be affected.

 

She’d gone through and edited little details. Every detail adds up and many people forget how small they have to be to throw off an entire system. It’s a simple process really.

 

Say you replace a 1 with a 0 in binary code meant to do mathematics.

 

 Then all the other 1’s and 0’s are offset, and the entire number changes. What could have been a 17 becomes a 7 and then the system is ten short. So when it takes that number and multiples by 2 it gets 14 instead of 34.

 

If it then need to multiply by 10, it gets 170 instead of 340. With each task and function, the program becomes more and more inaccurate. Each successive trait becomes a devious and lying chip in the correct answer.

 

Multiply by 10 again. 1700 and 3400. Again. 17000 and 34000. The difference increases and soon the number it SHOULD be is so far away it’s out of sight and out of mind.

 

Every little number counts.

 

Lapis had done more than change a small number, she had changed a name. A name here, a number there. Little things throughout every document. The end date was pushed back a month, the transfer date was then pushed back as well. That means the parts being ordered were pushed back a month and everything else slowly fell into place.

 

Most people wouldn’t think to double check these small things because they’re important and if they’re important no one messes them up and then they’re forgotten and pushed away.

 

Then she cleans up her mess by blocked access to the bug except for through a Peridot inspired firewall (as in Peridot had designed it and made it and no one but Peridot would be able to crack it). It was almost fool proof. Until Peridot noticed the bug and Lapis no longer had access to the necessary files.

 

Peridot would discover the bug, that was inevitable. Peridot always scanned her computer and knew when anything was the slightest pit out of place. Lapis could only hope it would take longer than a few days.

 

Except…

 

There was an encrypted file sitting on Peridot’s computer. Why did Lapis always find these things? The little bits and pieces people wanted hidden. She was too curious to ignore them, and too prideful to feel shame in cracking the encryption. It would be easy, it obviously wasn’t made by Peridot but by someone who loved the color pink.

 

If she tired to, however, Peridot would instantly know. Copying files and then editing them was entirely different from trying to extract an encrypted file.

 

Was it worth it? Lapis weighed the options, assessing the idea of betraying Peridot in this manner. Peridot hadn’t picked it apart yet so she either hadn’t had the time, Peridot already knew what was inside, or someone had trusted Peridot with information and had told Peridot not to look.

 

Lapis assumed the former.

 

 


	25. Peridot and The Encrypted File

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a file on Peridot's computer, and she doesn't like that it appeared there without her consent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Monday again. I know. Life is hectic.

Peridot clicked her tongue at the file on her computer. Someone had planted a bug and she hadn’t minded that, but she did mind the encrypted file on her computer. It hadn’t been there just a day ago when Peridot had been cleaning up excess files and sorting Pearl’s scanned copies into their proper folders. She liked organization, she liked setting things up in a way she understood.

 

She did not like random things showing up without her permission.

 

The file wasn’t large, a few gigebytes at the most. She spread out her fingers, relishing the feeling on control she had over her limbs. It had been a while since she’d felt this good about her prosthetics. Spreading her hands out in front of her and stopping short of cracking her knuckles, she thanked Allah for a new opportunity and went to work on cracking the file opened.

 

* * *

 

Pearl and Garnet showed up to work arm in arm. Laughter rang out along the corridors and Pearl hung off of Garne’ts arm for balance as she laughed until she was out of breath. They received looks from all those around them, some more obvious than others.

 

Amethyst gave the most obvious one, “So date or sex?”

 

Garnet shook her head at Amethyst’s crass reaction, while Pearl turned bright red.

 

“Amethyst! Don’t say something like that!” Pearl turned her head into Garnet’s shoulder and began to mutter.

 

Garnet pushed her sunglasses up her nose and raised an eyebrow.

 

“Aw come on G, you can’t blame me. It’s a sudden change in character!” Amethyst grinned and winked, “Besides, you know me. Can’t keep my nose out of things.”

 

Garnet shrugged and Pearl wrinkled her nose at Amethyst and then laughed, “Well let’s just keep those kind of comments out of the workplace, alright?”

 

“Whatever you say boss.” Amethyst stuck her tongue out, “Also, found some cool rock surveys of Mars that might help us out. I got Larry helping me out, you know how those watery guys are. I’ll get back to you if anything else starts poppin’.”

 

Pearl nodded and took the computer Amethyst had extended towards her, “Thanks Amethyst, good work.”

 

“I gotta P.H.D.!” Amethyst giggled and tumbled away, somersaulting through an open door and leaving before Garnet or Pearl could respond.

 

“Doesn’t Amethyst know you’re not into…” Pearl turned to Garnet after Amethyst left and felt her words dying in her throat. Garnet was smiling softly, sunglasses slid down her nose to look Pearl in the eyes.

 

“Amethyst knows.” Garnet raised her free hand to Pearl’s cheek and slid a thumb across her jawline, “I just think she knows that that… was an excellent date. And that we’re going to have more.”

 

“Mmmm,” Pearl accepted that answer.

 

* * *

 

 

Peridot felt her fingers gliding along the keys with speeds that would have frightened anyone into thinking Peridot was a robot. Her arms may be robotic but Peridot felt her heart beat and the smile on her face. She was happy.

 

She was very happy, and she was going to get Lapis back. She felt that in her bones as she saw the origins of the bug and laughed. Lapis had never been that subtle at computers. She probably knew that Peridot would be able to trace the origins of the bug… and if she hadn’t known well she was probably forgetting that Peridot wrote the programming for anything Lapis owned.

 

It was a good thing that Peridot had made copies of all the real files and hid them on a separate harddrive, wired to those one only when Peridot was in the room. Lapis had fake files with adjusted times and adjusted names. It was almost enough to make Peridot laugh again.

 

The file that had taunted Peridot for the past few hours opened before she could continue her thoughts. It had a few things inside. There was a text file with instructions and a letter, a few videos that were longer than Peridot expected in a file of this size, and a warning file. It wasn’t a file extension Peridot recognized.

 

She muttered to herself and sifted through the new data. The space project she should be working had been sitting all day to the side, ready to be worked on and messed with until it worked properly. This was more important to Peridot, and she spent more time filing and working with this than she had ever spent on creating programs for the computers that functioned around the housing units within the base.

 

She ignored the people that came in and out of her office to discuss project related items. She ignored Garnet and Pearl stopping by to ask how she was. She ignored Amethyst who asked for an extra computer to do research on. She ignored Larry asking for the figures and stats she had promised to provide.

 

She ignored everything. Because within that file there was a mystery to unravel.

 

Pearl was in that file. Not the Pearl Peridot know and loved. No, it was Pearl when she was younger and more burdened by the world’s harsh realities. Peridot hadn’t been aware of just how care-free Pearl was in comparison to the people around her. It was startling to discover something so old on her computer.

 

The backtrace on the file sat running in the background of her work.

 

Lapis had a hidden past, Pearl had a hidden past, and Peridot felt hollow on the inside. Why with hold these things? Why deceive and lie about revealing everything? Why not just say they didn’t want to share some things about their pasts and current situations and leave it at that? Peridot would have understood and accepted that, would have loved to go “Okay.”

 

They hadn’t given her that opportunity and now she was forced to research and dig through files given to her anonymously.

 

She took her time of prayer and then sat at her desk, staring with sadness creeping into her heart. Today was not a good day.


	26. Dr. Van and Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marty is back, and he's grimier than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *finger guns*

Dr. Van was going through her paperwork. Running a large organization designed to f**k everyone else over was hard work. She loved it. The corner of her lips twitched, but she fought the smile. Right now she needed to concentrate, approach the best way to take control of the situation. There were times when she didn’t like her work, but that was mainly because she hated working on these tiny computer screens.

She didn’t actually use paper, that wasn’t something she enjoyed. She recalled how Peridot had designed and made many of the computers still in use in the building. In fact, Peridot had designed the computer Dr. Van was using right now to read through Pearl’s “confidential” documents. It felt ironic.

They were leaving on schedule, they had new people. She hummed from the back of her throat. Her assistant had a similar name to hers so many times, they would call her assistant and, upon hearing the name, started talking about what they wanted to talk to Dr. Van about. It was humorous. However, today was not the day she wanted that to happen. So all calls were going through her, rather than the useless assistant that was on vacation. She’d sent her on vacation.

When the phone rang while she was looking at the documents, she regretted that decision.

“Hello?”

“Dr. Van? This is Dr. Marty. I would like to propose a trade.” The man’s voice was gruff, worn down. She leaned against her hand. She began to massage her forehead. This was not something she wanted to deal with.

“Yes?” She couldn’t even work up a smile to change her voice.

“I’d like to exchange information. I have information on Dr.  Huître . You give me something in return… and I would happily hand these documents over.”

She sat up straight and glanced at her door. It was closed. It was expensive wood, designed to look good but not necessarily prevent sound from exiting.

“I’m listening.”

Peridot frantically scrambled between her computers. Someone was erasing her data. Someone was erasing her data without mercy, deleting everything from birthdays to the file she’d recently opened (the first victim of the vicious worm).

She wasn’t about to allow this though. She still had time to recover the files, as long as she rid this worm from her computer hard drives. Whoever did this had to know how she worked. They were methodical, but unsuccessful in fully deleting the things they came across. A good computer person, a mediocre programmer, and a terrible worm builder.

It was gone before it could ravage anything beyond her three central computers, but damage was still extensive since they were densely packed with programming and files. A groan escaped her, but she sighed with relief.

Now the question was who and how.

Marty sat in front of Dr. Van with a smile. It stretched his face to far, making it look like his face was made of drying clay. She felt disgust just looking at the grime in his hair and the look in his eyes. She shuddered to think of when he actually opened his mouth.

“You requested this meeting because you didn’t trust your own phone line. You are a cautious man.” Dr. Van felt her smile slip easily into place. Such a fake smile, so easy to make and so easy to keep. She wondered if people knew what she lied about.

The smart ones would guess everything… and they’d be right.

“Yeah, well when you get attacked by a mad woman with a sword, you kinda adopt that personality.” His smile turned into a grimace. She didn’t know which expression she disliked more.

“What’s the information you have?” She hoped he’d let it slip. She begged to herself to restrain from having him killed in his seat. It was so tempting though.

“Not until payment. I know how this works. I watch TV.” Marty leaned back against his chair, slipping an arm around the back and popped a foot on her desk. The boot had dirt caked into the tread.

She raised an eyebrow, “I see. What do you want?”

“A job.” He was grinning again, “I want the equivalent of Dr.  Huître ’s job here at the ASG. I think this information will help me earn that position.”

They didn’t have an equivalent of Pearl’s position. They didn’t have a space program going on. But if he wanted a job…

“Deal.” The thought of jobs floated in the back of her mind. She thought of the various jobs she could give him, as well as their importance. There was no doubt that he would never be a crucial member of any team. Decisions, decisions.

His feet were removed from the desk, and little bits of dirt and dust came off to float around her desk. He leaned forward, teeth sharp in the light. From his pocket came a computer. It was about the size of her palm, smaller than any of the computers that scattered the ASG’s offices. “All the info you need is on this. She flipped a palm upward, indicating where he should put the computer. “Ah, you don’t get this until I see the paperwork about my job. I proved I have my end ready, you have to prove yours.”

She snorted, “You’ve proved nothing, just that you have a computer. I have no idea what’s on that computer. Could be a virus, could be nothing. What proof do you have that doesn’t rely on guesswork and false tells?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out another device. This one was the size of her pinky and flat as a piece of paper. “This is a worm. A program I paid good money for. What this does is steal from people. Their information, their data, their thoughts, anything that was on their computer. And they know nothing about what’s been given out. It’s traceless.”

She was intrigued. Dr. Van paused before continuing the conversation. She could take this bet, or she could walk away. Two options, both equally risky. “How is this proof?”

“You can look at the most recent this computer has eaten its way through. This one…” He slipped the bug into the computer he held. He waited a few seconds before turning the computer around and allowing her to see it’s screen.

She wanted to wring his little neck. Traceless didn’t exist when Miss Peridot Almaz was involved. If anything, traceless was impossible. Perhaps it could be possible if Almaz didn’t go through her computer everyday to look for rogue files and corrupt designs. Anything and everything was checked, 24/7, through the program designed by Almaz herself. Unless this man-baby managed to bypass Peridot’s security system BEFORE putting the bug in, Peridot was away. And she was ready for another breach. Damn.

They’d wanted to do that, but this man has stood in the way. What was she to do with him.

Well… computers work in many ways. She reached for her phone, “I have to make a phone call. Even as director, I can’t just give away jobs nilly willy. Have to make sure the position is open after all.”

The dirty look he gave her was almost enough to make her happiness real. She called Blue, “Marty wants a job. Quick question, he’s got a computer with data on it. I trust you can verify it?”

“Why are you asking me? We’re not on the same side.” Blue almost sounded amused.

“I’ll share.”

“He’s right in front of you isn’t me?” Now she was definitely amused.

“Oh yes.” Dr. Van watched Marty twitch, picking at his fingers, “Can you do it?”

“Yup. Give me ten seconds to connect and tear apart the info.”

“I’m hanging up for reasons I’m sure you know.” She could hear Blue muttering under her breath. The phone clicked off and Marty leaned forward, vibrating. Perhaps excited. He left with a bounce in his step, his computer tucked under his arm.

“We’ll have the info by the end of the day. Please use one of our waiting rooms or come back at your … convenience.” She wouldn’t have to give this piece of grime anything if Blue was as good as she had been five years ago.

Blue called her within 6 minutes, “I got it, you can dump him. You were going to do that anyway right?”

“Of course I was.” She felt her smile slowly relax, “Did you expect anything less.”

“Not really, info is sent to your email. I kept a copy. You owe me a favor now, and you know I collect on my debts.”

“I know.”

Dr. Van sent a Ruby to escort Marty the slime out of her building. She had what she needed.


	27. Mom and a Phone call

Peridot felt a twitch develop after her morning prayer. It was in her hand, and every time Pearl passed it would twitch and Pearl began to notice. They were working around the clock, and Pearl had thoughts it was worse than what it actually represented.

“Are you okay Peridot? Are your limbs working?” Peridot’s arm was in Pearl grasp, Pearl’s fingers brushing the sensitive circuits as she opened a patch and looked inside. Peridot thought she would turn down the sensitivity of her ‘skin’ when Pearl was finished.

“Everything is fine Pearl, they work beautifully. Thank you.” Peridot slowly slipped her arm away from Pearl and forced a smile.” Pearl knew. Peridot had a feeling, it ached in her stomach and forced to to acknowledge the look she was receiving. “I dislike how this conversation is going.”

Pearl smiled naturally, Peridot could tell, and the tension between them was diffused, “That happens. Would you like to talk?”

Peridot felt her chest begin to feel the weight of her secret, it restricted her breathing and she took shallow breaths to compensate. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Lapis watched Marty leave. While glad he was gone, she had to wonder at his business with Dr. Van. There were many things she knew about Dr. Van’s desire, but nothing was connected to slime and grime.

She hesitated, but then she moved back into her office and picked up the phone.

Pearl and Peridot were sitting at a table with food in front of them. A burger and fries began to lose taste in the chill of the lunch room.

“Whenever you’d like to talk, you know I’m here right?” Pearl pushed the fries around on her plate, her eyes downcast.

“I know. I just don’t know how you’re going to take this.” Peridot snaked her hand across the table to cover Pearl’s smaller one.

“I have watched Garnet and Amethyst get their PHDs, I have watched this project get up and off the ground, I have watched your limbs fly off and I have watched you get electrocuted. I have watched many things Pear, I have even watched myself go on a date when I thought I never would. I’m too awkward, too prone to bursting out some random fact that’s unappreciated. I have done so many things and seen the world. Please, trust me. I can handle it.”

Peridot doubted this was going to go over well, despite Pearl’s kind words.

“I found some information on your biological mother. The one that Rose never told you about.”

She listened to Pearl’s sharp intake of breathe, “Oh.”

“Oh indeed.”

* * *

 

_ Rose looked at the paperwork behind Pearl’s foster care. She then looked at Pearl’s grades. Pearl was an excellent student. Despite lacking many years of education due to the constant upheaval of foster care, she’d never lost her love of science and her well trained writing abilities. _

_ She’d even started a project. How to get to mars. It made Rose chuckle, watching this 17 year old show more promise than Rose’s most powerful friends. _

_ Oh but what to do. Should she tell Pearl? She’d pulled the original report: dead. That’s all it said. Dead. How could you summarize a person’s experience in one word? How could you discard that life so easily. _

_ Probably due to the race issue that acted behind the scenes. Rose hoped otherwise, but she felt she knew better. _

_ Dead said the official paperwork, but this new information sat in front of her. Someone who’s nickname was White and who was very much alive. In fact, they worked in the shadows. Following leads and affecting the world. Their wealth and power affected the world more than Rose’s ever could. _

* * *

 

“I’m just going to blurt it out okay?” Peridot watched for any sign of backing out in Pearl’s eyes.

“Okay.”

Shit. Peridot took a deep breath, “It wasn’t your mom that died in the car crash, it was your dad and your mom left you at the hospital, and she’s very much alive and well. She’s been searching for you since you were 16 and doesn’t know that she no longer has any right to be your mom since Rose was the one that raised you and cared for you and this woman left you to the mercy of a system that can’t even keep up with the number of kids coming in every year.”

“Oh I know that.” Pearl snorted, “That’s what you wanted to tell me? Well I understand why you were worried.”

“What?”

“I was curious. I wanted to know who my father was. I wanted to take my sword to his head.” Pearl hummed, “I wanted answers.”

Pearl was interrupted by her phone vibrating on the table. She picked it up without hesitation. In fact, from what Peridot could tell, she was a little eager. She clicked the speakerphone button and Peridot’s eyes much have widened in shock because Pearl smiled and wrinkled her nose.

“Hi guys.”

“Lapis!” Pearl and Peridot cried in unison. Pearl began to rush her words, “How have you been? Are you comfortable? Are you getting fed and money? Make sure to take care of yourself! Is there anything we can do for you? You know I’m here for you!”

Lapis laughed, “I wanted some information, but I also missed your voices.”

“Why are you calling us? There are much more secure forms of communication.” Peridot sounded amused. She knew that.

“Dr. Van is busy sifting through some data Marty gave her. That’s why I called you. Marty has information and is using it to get back at Pearl. I just know it.” Lapis’s voice strained, her words sounded elongated and broken.

“We’re okay.” Peridot wanted Lapis to see her smile, “He must have been the worm. He got information, he got a lot of information, but I was able to backtrace the connection.”

“You didn’t tell me about that!” Pearl almost sounded offended.

“You didn’t ask.”

Lapis interrupted the moment, “But what kind of damage can he do with those documents?”

“You should know,” Peridot felt smug, “I know you downloaded files as well.”

“Well I just took an encrypted file. Haven’t even attempted to crack it.”

Peridot laughed, “That’s probably a good idea, it took me hours to get a hold of the first couple levels.”

“Oh.”

Lapis went quiet for a few minutes.

Pearl and Peridot waited.

“I have to go guys, I don’t want Dr. Van to think I’m not fulfilling my end of the contract. I’m sorry.” Lapis hung up before Pearl and Peridot could respond.

Pearl and Peridot shared looks. They were sad, certainly, but everything seemed brighter in that moment. That moment where they were all together again, even if it was just over the phone, and had talked without need for lying or commitment. It was so nice, that Peridot almost jumped up with joy.

“Our food’s cold.” Pearl stared down at her plate and pushed around the fries again.

“That happens when you let it sit and don’t eat it.”

“If I didn’t love you, I’d call you an ass.”

Peridot feels laughter bubble up and watched as Pearl succumbs to the same laughing fit. 

  
  



	28. Yellow Diamond and Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Diamond reads reports. Peridot and Amethyst have a conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY I know it's been three weeks. Election + midterms my friends. Election +midterm....

Dr. Van looks at the stack of computers on her desk. Each are a personal device attached to one of her many minions. There must be a dozen or so here, and really she should work on them, but she needs a little pick-me-up before hand.

The coffee that bites her tongue forces a shiver down her spine. “Assistant.”

“Yes?”

“Get me a scone, blueberry.”

She hears a short “yes” followed by slapping footsteps and slamming doors. There, now she’s ready to work.

As per usual, it’s the dull words of people who have no creativity. There’s a report on the sewer water leakage into a city’s drinking water, and the radiation affecting those that were unaware they lived near a toxic waste dumping ground. Really, she should be surprised but it’s all so old at this point.

It takes a few minutes to sort the work into two piles: a pile for her to work through and a pile of the dull things her assistant for which her assistant has the time. The interesting ones are in short supply, and only three computers fill her pile. Who knows, a singular computer could have many interesting things for her to indulge in.

One of these computers belongs to Lapis, but that treat is to be saved for last.

A report on how her law loppyists were doing their job. It was going well. She has someone helping raise prices on insurance, as per their usual work, and another person working on oil. Oh the life of the oil lobbyist, really it was the cushiest job a person could have. You were always working with people desperate with money and spent money on you like you were dying.

Her person did good work, and didn’t let this go to their head. This was good, the last person had gotten caught up in the whole thing and made a bad deal. They were in the sanitation department now.

She tapped the desk as she pushed aside the happy report and looked at the more troublesome one. Her “spy” was having trouble finding information. Spy was such an arcaic term, she really liked it. Some language was just lost with time. The term groovy for example, considered ancient and old. It delighted her, and Blue knew it. The term groovy appeared several times in the report.

Blue had her “spy”. Well then.  

Dr. Van quickly tapped a reply to the report, mentioning the hip music to be found in Blue’s stash. She contemplated stealing said music, detailing exactly what her spy should do next. This type of correspondence between her and Blue wasn’t unusual. Indeed, this conversation might be met with laughter on Blue’s side.

In short, she told Blue her taste in music sucked and she should stick it up her… well Dr. Van enjoyed being colorful. With the message sent, she leaned back in her chair and glared at a report she should be reading.

She really disliked this part of her job. Really, she cared about everyone that worked for her with her entire heart. Except she didn’t. It was complicated, and she would never try to explain something so abstract.

Lapis. Oh my, what was Lapis up to now and would Dr. Van have to punish her? Sometimes, sometimes, Dr. Van felt guilty about what she was doing with her ol’ lackey. That was a brief moment though, a flutter on the wind before it settled into her usual ruthless thoughts.

Pressing a single finger against the screen, she flicked up hard and fast. The screen expanded and hung in front of her with a gentle bobbing motion. She appreciated Peridot’s better work. It’s why Lapis’s computer was their best one available. Peridot could tell a networking computer from one of her one. Such a shame, it makes her job more expensive.

Oh well, the large screen was still nice.

Pearl was making progress, had those two newbies working for her, and Peridot was fine as well. The usual report she expected. Where was her treat then? Dr. Van frowned.

It took another minute for her to find something that made her smile. It was a sharp smile. Her nose squished, her jaw offset, and her eyes sparkled. The schedule appeared in bold letters, each day laid out with detailed precision, such like previous Pearl’s usual habits.

The workers had changed, some more competent and others with more relatable experience. Peridot had a computer technician to help her keep up with the demand. This was good. This was very good. The quicker this whole thing was accomplished the more easily she could swoop in and get things gone.

Lapis deserved a treat for this one. Anything that made her smile deserved a reward. What would it be then?

* * *

 

Blue looked at the report in front of her and snorted. Van loved her music, and she knew it. A quick reply would be enough. Blue looked between her typing hands and the door. Her receptionist knew how she talked, and if she saw what Blue was typing Blue would have to explain. And, if Blue was honest with herself, she didn’t want that.

Of course, she didn’t answer to her receptionist. It was habit at this point however, and her receptionist had always been a reliable friend and co-worker.  She wouldn’t understand anyway.

In the middle of the reply, her phone beings to chime. She sighs and flicks at the video call button.

“Yes? Oh Rose. Hi.” Blue squints at the screen, “Something wrong?”

“I want to help Lapis.”

Blue shoved the computer she’d been typing on aside and turned to fully face Rose. She straightened her back, wiped off her shirt and straightened her tie, “You have my full attention.”

“Good.”

* * *

 

Lapis gets a video call request. It’s been awhile since that’s happened. She answers with trepidation, blinking at the image of Rose on her screen.

“Do you still dislike me?”

Truth, or lies? “Yes.”

“Good. Now let’s get to business. How badly do you want to get away from Dr. Van?”

* * *

 

Garnet and Pearl sat in front of a café with mugs in their laps and Pearl’s shoulders bumping Garnets. Amethyst watched, from a discrete distance, and hummed.

“That was fast.” Peridot appeared at Amethyst’s side, “Usually it takes Pearl a year to warm up to someone. But you guys, it was instantaneous.”

Amethyst feels Peridot’s smile squeeze the back of her throat shut. She coughs, “Well, we’re just super awesome is all. Garnet is even more awesome than I am so yeah.” Oh god. She was a college graduate. She had a PHD. And she’d just said that. Amethyst slapped her face.

“Don’t worry, I’m concerned too.”

Amethyst breathed a sigh of relief. “Garnet doesn’t warm up to people too fast neither. It usually takes a bit ya know? I’m worried. I don’t want them to get ‘n over there heads an’ mess stuff up.”

Peridot hummed and sat at a nearby table. This street had several food vendors, restaurants, cafes, and various assorted shops and little help areas. Peridot thought of the barber shops she knew Pearl went to, and she thought about Amethyst’s long hair. Did she cut it herself, as Peridot did to maintain it, or did she go to someone else?

“Do you go to barbershops?” Oh my, that was rude. She shouldn’t have asked that.

Amethyst blinked and then burst out laughing, she shook her head and continued to watch Garnet and Pearl. “Nah, I cut it myself. Too expensive and they never do it right, ya know?”

“Oh.” Peridot contemplated the world at large as a man came by and asked if she wanted to drink something. She quietly, politely declined, and turned to get full view of Pearl laughing. She smiled.

Amethyst ordered tea. “What about you? Do you go to a hair person?”

Peridot snorted, “No, no I do not. I cut my own hair.” She didn’t explain more than that.

Amethyst nodded and listened to Garnet laugh, “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“Yes, I do.” Peridot’s heart ached.

Amethyst watched Peridot for a while before turning back to the new couple across  the street, “Think they knew we’re watching?”

“Probably.”

“You’re quiet.” Amethyst tilted her head and watched Peridot now, “What’s up?”

Peridot smiled, “I apologize for being rude, I’m just thinking of prayer and how I don’t have a mosque to go to. It saddens me to not be able to visit one during Ramadan.”

“Oh yeah! You told me that was coming up. Sorry, should I not be drinking in front of you?” Amethyst’s hands jerked away from her tea and Peridot shook her head.

“You do not participate in this month and therefore I shouldn’t hold you to those standards. Or anyone for that matter. People do as they wish, I simply wish to pray and fast.” Peridot smiled and laughed when Amethyst quickly slipped her hands once more about her tea.

“Good, I’d hate to not drink this tea.” Amethyst winked.

Peridot thanked Allah for her friends, “Thank you Amethyst.”

“No prob bob.”

“My name’s Peridot.”

“I know.”

* * *

 

Pearl and Garnet glanced at Peridot and Amethyst.

“I bet you ten dollars Peridot just explained fasting to Amethyst.” Garnet hummed at the challenge.

“I bet five dollars she didn’t.”

Pearl winked and watched as Amethyst began to drink her tea again, “That’s evidence right there. Did you see the lightening grab?”

“No.”

“Liar”

  
  



	29. Medicine and Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and Blue have a conversation with Lapis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been two months, and I apologize. The first and last half months were due to the end and beginning of a semester. The middle month was because I was in a play called "Sweeney Todd: The demon barber of fleet street" and was far too busy to write.
> 
> This chapter is a little shorter because my time is still limited, but I am glad to get this one written. This has a really fun scene that I have been waiting to write for a while.
> 
> And one last note: I know this story isn't written amazingly. I know it has flaws. This isn't my best work, but to me it's the story and the characterizations that matter. I could spend time nitpicking every detail, and writing it to perfection... but what's the fun in that? I do that for every essay and I just really want to enjoy and continue to write this. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter.

 

Rose is in Lapis’s office. It’s a strange occurrence, and certainly an unexpected one. She was also too close, standing just in front of the desk, her hands leaning on the dark wood. Blue was also there, but that wasn’t as surprising based on their previous relationship. She was a little ways away, standing closer to the door.

 

“You’re saying you have the ability to break my contract?” Lapis is sitting at the desk, paperwork surrounding her in the form of mountains. She slowly reaches into the drawer on the left hand side, the top one, and pulls out an old, yellowed, piece of paper.

 

Blue glances at Rose, who is unable to see as Rose’s eye are burrowing into Lapis, “I’m saying we have the ability to help you with your medicine.”

 

Lapis feels her chest and head ache, she brings up a hand and massages her temple, “Ah. I see.”

 

Rose smiles softly, her hands pull slowly away from the desk and reach towards Lapis. They are close enough that Lapis feels their presence, but they aren’t touching, “Pearl has been work—“

 

“Pearl? You told her?” Lapis grimaces, “She wasn’t supposed to know.”

 

“She made better medicine.”

 

Lapis stands up with enough speed to knock her chair backward. The carpet muffles the crash, but it is loud enough that Lapis worries people might come and see what’s going on. “What?”

 

Blue nods as Rose reaches down the Lapis’s left hand, slowly working the balled fist into a flat position that Rose can hold between her hands.

 

“I don’t believe you.” Lapis feels Rose’s calluses rub against her hand. She rips her hands away. “Let me tell you what I think of you, and I’m going to be frank. I hate you. I hate the way Pearl hangs on your every word, and when she feels the stress of her job she contacts you instead of asking Peri or I for help. Why would I ever, ever, trust my life in your hands?”

 

Rose’s smile slowly slips away and her hands hang in the air where Lapis left them, “I can’t control Pearl’s feelings.”

 

“But you can reject them. You can let Pearl know the truth. She will never have the relationship she wants with you.”

 

Blue places a hand on Lapis’s shoulder. Lapis hadn’t been aware of Blue moving across the carpet and sneaking around the desk. The hand, however, is a welcome sign of comfort. “Why haven’t you told her?”

 

Lapis swallows, “I… she , wouldn’t, listen.”

 

“And why would she listen to Rose?”

 

Blue has a point, and it hurts to hear it. “Okay.”

 

“Please, we want you to be happy. Will you at least try the medicine? If it doesn’t work, things continue on as they were before. If it does… Pearl and Peridot will have you back. And you’ll be free.” Rose lets her hands drop to her sides.

 

Lapis looks down and feels the carpet between her toes. She never wears shoes in her office. The actual floor is wood, but she insisted on having a carpet beneath the desk. She feels her eyes begin to water, but she doesn’t look up. “Fine.”

 

Lapis can’t see Blue smile, but she geusses at the experssions both of her visitors are showing in this moment.

 

“Here.” Blue opens the desk drawer directly in front of Lapis. The little one that holds needles and sacks of medicine. Only one has anything in it. Blue slips in another bag of meds that are blue rather than yellow.

 

“Why do people make their meds their favorite color?” Lapis muses, allowing her mind to unfocus and pull inward.

 

Rose snorts, “I wouldn’t know. “

 

Rose and Blue wait for Lapis to respond, but Lapis ignores them and bends down to pick up her chair. She waits for a few moments, then sits and does the paperwork she was supposed to be doing today, before those two rudely bargained in and gave her the hope she hadn’t had in a long time.

 

“We’ll leave you alone.” Blue signals to Rose and the two quickly leave Lapis to her fate.

 

* * *

 

 

Dr. Van frowns at this new report from Lapis. Rather  than being early, the shuttle is now merely on time. That was a quick turn around. Perhaps she should have someone check in who wasn’t a risky traitor.

 

* * *

 

Steven is shuffling a deck of cards when Pearl walks in. “Hey big sis, wanna play poker? Dad taught me how a few months ago and I have yet to lose!”

 

Pearl snorts, “Oh really? And tell me, who have you played against?”

 

Her home is as comfy as ever, and Steven is sitting at the table. There are no chairs, merely comfy table with a large blanket to keep him warm and to sit on. Where did her chairs go?

 

Greg is sitting on the opposite side, a blanket draped around his shoulders, “Come on, Pearl. Just sit and have some fun with us. After all, you’re ahead of schedule. You have some time to relax.”

 

Well… she did finish quite a few things in the past day. It couldn’t hurt to… there’s a knock on her door. One long, two short, two long was Peridot’s knock. It was always the same. Pearl smiles and walks to the door. The carpet is clean, so Greg must have vacuumed. She is surprised, and happy to know that Peridot isn’t walking into a filthy house.

 

“Hey, why are you here?” Pearl says as she opens the door and there’s Amethyst, Peridot, and Garnet all waiting. “All… three… of you?”

 

Steven whoops, “I’m so happy! All of you got my invites. Garnet, did you bring the chips?”

 

Garnet holds up a bag of chips, a non-generic brand that is definitely not copyrighted, “Cool ranch flavor. You said that was your favorite right?”

 

“Perfect!” Steven bolts and grabs the chips before Pearl can even ask why. He’s in her kitchen, climbing on her counters, opening her cabinets. She should stop him, but she’s too tired.

“Well come in everyone.” She steps aside and lets everyone shuffle inside. The door clicks when she closes it, and she listens to the chirping of crickets that still can be heard through the wood. Peridot puts a hand on her shoulder. She turns and hugs Peridot, whose hair smells like soap and spring.

 

“Let’s have some fun okay? We all deserve it.”

 

Pearl does suppose that is true.

 

Garnet is already sitting at the table, which is much lower than what Pearl remembers, and has a stack of chips in front of her, “Steven, are we betting?”

 

Peridot smirks at Pearl’s face, “Of course we are! That’s what makes poker poker, dad said so.” Steven dumps more chips on Pearl’s table. Pearl’s nice. Clean. Table. Pearl groans. She doesn’t even attempt to fix it, instead hse sits down next to Steven and takes the cards to shuffle. When she does a successful bridge first try, Steven gasps.

 

“That’s awesome! Can you teach me how to do that?”

 

“It’s relatively simple Steven, all you do –“ Pearl explains the bridge in a step by step fashion. First this, then that. She forgets, however, that Steven is young with short fingers. He sends the cards scattering everywhere.

 

She doesn’t move to clean them up, which raises an eyebrow from Peridot. Instead, Steven goes to clean up, “I got it!”

 

By the time he’s gotten every card and they are ready to play, the chips are sitting evening in front of everyone and Pearls are sorted by size, shape, and stackability. Peridot has them lumped into ‘want to eat’ and ‘eh’ piles. Garnet had them lumped by color, dark vs light, and Greg nor Steven stack or sort their chips at all.

 

It will be a most interesting game.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an experiment with characterization in an AU, all critics are welcome.
> 
> Also, when thinking up an outfit for Pearl, I was referring to this
> 
> http://therebemorefoolery.tumblr.com/post/117995003102/big-beefy-and-beanpole
> 
> She is an amazing artist and I just loved that outfit for Pearl. It looks amazing. Other things, such as hair style, may differ. It was mainly the outfit I used as reference.


End file.
